


Royally and Rebelliously Fucked

by PrussianCross



Category: Ever After High, Ever After High Series - Shannon Hale
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Apple tries for her friends, Ashlyn is now Ash, Briar is lovingly oblivious, Briar is still Briar but a boy, Bunny is still Bunny but a male, Ch5 is one of my favorites, Courtly is now Corey, Dark fairytales, Darling is the older sister to twins Daring and Dexter, Duchess is now Duke, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hiatus, Hunter is the cutest and dumbest Himbo, Jillian a is now Jacob and pretty different, Justine is now Juno, M/M, Madeline is now Matthew, Magnus is a ‘love to hate’ kinda guy, Magnus is our main douche-bro, Many ocs in this chapter!, Meet the (some) Ozians!, Melody is now Allegro, Minimal editing, Multi, Poppy is still Poppy but a boy, Poppy is the castle’s best bro, Robin Hood is a punk bitch, Setting a tone? More like straight to Hell, Some characters are genderbent, Still a girl but a different character than the show, Swearing, THE PARTY IS STARTING, Wonderland Curse is Seriously fucked, Wonderlandians are refugees, cheating except its not, fight me man in tights, forgot about this, heavy discussions, introduction of ‘Bro Chat’, many ocs will be added, more of an establishing chapter, thank Grimm for MirrorCasts, the Bro Chat returns, the great hair dye massacre of 2020, will update tags as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 67,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrussianCross/pseuds/PrussianCross
Summary: Every generation is told about Happy Ever Afters and Soulmates. Every child is told about destiny and futures. But the students at Ever After High are going to find out just how dark Fairy Tales can be.An A/B/O adventure. Warnings are posted in Chapter notes.  (Characters/tags/relationships will be added as Chapters are added)Please read Chapter 6 for the new upload schedule!
Relationships: Ashlynn Ella/Hunter Huntsman, Briar Beauty/Magnus LeGume, Daring Charming/Apple White, Dexter Charming/Humphrey Dumpty, Dexter Charming/Raven Queen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. A Charming Start

**Author's Note:**

> A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> No "real" warnings for this chapter. but it sets a few tones for the fic. trust me, it'll get there lol
> 
> William Diamonds is an Oc. 
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile.

7:45am At the main gates.

_Leapfrog: Any1 here yet? @ the [Castle] and the [Female Symbol, Crown] are looking better every year!  
PointDexter: You're already there?  
PointDexter: Wait, who changed my name again!  
Omelette: Sorry Point. Snooze, lose! Aren't you Charmins late?  
Omelette: *Charmings  
PointDexter: Right on time, actually!  
PointDexter: Just got out of the carriage. Can't see you past the crowd  
Omelette: By the Wall! Bring the girl!  
PointDexter: She's not just some girl!  
PointDexter: We're bringing her anyway, though_

*

Hopper sits on one of the walls surrounding a large planter, fiddling with his mirrorphone and playing the new Daggers & Damsels text adventure app. So far he's gotten robbed twice and slapped by a goat herder. "Man, this game is so much harder than I expected..." He sighs as he gets stabbed by an assassin and has to start over, only pausing long enough to fire a text off at the group chat he and some of the other guys started last year.

The bespectacled blond snorts as he sends his text, pushing up his frames with a roll of his eyes as Humphrey views Hopper on the wall. "Take it from experience, not a great place to be!" he says, though it quickly gets drowned out at a startling commotion by the steps of the school as the Charmings leave their carriage. "Well, text the Crone! There they are. Oh? Hey Hops, know who the girl is with them?"

The freckled prince looks up and waves, not seeming too concerned about falling. "Ahhh, I'm fine! What, am I gonna cra-haaa- oh wow!" Hopper leans too far forward and flails as he falls off the short wall and onto the ground. "She's so pretty!" the alpha gasps as he makes goo goo eyes from the ground.

Snickering, and moving to help Hopper off the ground, Humphrey rolls his eyes "I told Dex to bring her over, I'm curious aren't you?" He stands the frog prince up and helps him dust off. "Yknow sometimes with the way you act around Omegas I don't know if you fell because of her or them." He snickers.

"Whaaat? C'mon man, don't be weird about it! Daring and Dexter don't even date dudes!" Hopper points out as they both work to dust his vest off. He rubs the back of his neck once he's up, though, and laughs nervously. "Though...I dunno. There was a really cute omega boy I met this winter and I guess I don't mind the idea so much? I just never considered it before. Boys, I mean! Not the Charmings." he clarifies with an ungraceful snort, not noticing the three of them coming closer.

**Meanwhile . . .**

The brunet Charming twin rolls his eyes as he pockets his own mirrorphone again and nudges Daring. Their carriage is pulling up to the school anyway. "Hey, should we, uh, warn Darling? I mean some of the princes-" 

"Why would I need to be warned about the princes?" she asks, looking up from her book. 'How bad could it be, if they need to warn me? I’m sure they’re just kidding.' Darling flashes her brothers a small smile as she marks the page that she'll never return to. "I don’t think it’ll be serious enough to really make you worry. Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me come here, otherwise.”

Fixing a few loose strands of hair, the blond brother lets out a laugh as their Carriage jolts to a stop. "Oh little brother, we should be warning the princes of her! With her looks she'll have a following by lunch, the boys won't know what hit them." He laughs again, finally putting his mirror into his bag, and slinging it on his shoulder, "Now let's go meet them!"

Several other princes are fawning and flouncing around when Darling gets out of the carriage, but she only gives them a brief wave before smiling at her brothers again. "I think I'll be okay, especially if I stick with you two. That's okay, right?" she asks, not wanting to get left alone with a crowd of strangers right off the bat. Especially when she’s not sure how much anyone knows about her connection to the Charming brothers. 

Dexter pushes his own glasses up and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Uh, yeah. Maybe that isn't a bad idea for your first day or two? The castle's pretty crazy!" he laughs uneasily, checking his mirrorphone again and sighing as Humphrey fesses up. "Aw, gourd."

The older twin Charming is waving and shoos away most of the princes with a well placed eyebrow raise. "I suppose if our darling Sister wants to follow us for orientation week, then it can't be too awful. I'm sure the girls will like her." He 'assures' his siblings, before snapping his fingers and two servants grab all 3 bags from the top of the Carriage, and start into the school.

The brunet shakes his head as he gestures over at the wall so Daring can see where he's pointing. "Humphrey says he and Hopper are over that way. Maybe we should try and disperse the fans?" he suggests, only half joking. 

Darling nods and waves at a couple of people in the crowd, drawing their attention. "Excuse me!" Several people try to answer at once until she holds up a hand for them to stop. "Can one of you please do me a favor and pick up my schedule from the office? It's under 'Darling Charming' - I'll owe you, if you’re the one that gets it for me!" she adds with a smile. She flicks her hair out of the way, seemingly slowing time around them as it bobs perfectly back into place. 

The response is immediate as almost the entire crowd runs off. The stragglers that stay behind don't seem as inclined to actually approach with both brothers nearby, or have been intimidated by the immediate response others had to the princess.The older twin grins and pats his sister on the shoulder. "Can't wait to see who brings it back!" he chuckles.

“Those are your friends, right?” Darling asks, spotting two of the people left behind - Daring and Dexter's awkward friends. “I expected someone more...obviously princely.” she admits with surprise in her tone as she looks over where Dexter had mentioned Humphrey and Hopper would be. 

“Well, to be fairest, the blond is Dexter’s friend. And Hopper...” The prince grimaces slightly. “Well, he has reason, is all.” Daring comments with an awkward chuckle as they make their way to the other boys. "Hopper! Humphrey." he calls and waves. "What are we talking about? Anything exciting so far?" he asks, before snapping his fingers, "Ah right. Boys, this is our older sister Darling. She transferred from 3P! Yknow, that fancy Princess Academy?" he adds with an almost bored wave of his hand. 

Humphrey gives Dexter a fist bump and nods. "Hi-hi Darling. Humphrey Dumpty. Didn't know the boys had a sister!" he comments, his nasal voice hitting an octave that makes the group flinch, "Ahah... Sorry. I don't talk to many princesses..." he adds with a lame laugh at himself. 

"Ahahahaheeey, nice to meet you, Darling!" Hopper greets the beautiful girl. He doesn't catch himself feeling super nervous, though, and his smile brightens to one that's more genuine, and usually reserved for the less feminine members of his class. "Welcome to Ever After! I'm Hopper." He flashes a grin at Daring and fist-bumps the omega. "Why didn't you two tell us you had a sis?"

She's about to question that herself when another boy walks up, this time...with her actual schedule. There's some soft footsteps before a calm voice interrupts them, "Um excuse me? When they gave me my schedule I got a... Darling Charming's as well? Did they spell your name wrong Daring?" comes a slightly accented voice, and a pale platinum blond is there in mostly white, looking more at the papers in his hand then the students in front of him.

Darling points to the schedule and then to herself. "I'm actually Darling Charming, so that’s probably for me. Thanks for grabbing that!" the princess tells him, surprised and smiling at the mix-up for a second. 

Dexter rolls his eyes and pats Humphrey on the shoulder. "We don't talk about her because she gives us princes a bad name! She's probably going to break a lot of hearts this year, so we sorta promised Dad we'd keep an eye out for her while she adjusts." He waves when he realizes they've been joined by another prince. "Hey, William. I can't believe they messed up and gave you the wrong schedule and your own. At least they didn't just swap 'em like last year, huh?"

The pale prince finally looks up and cocks his head to the side. "Whaaat? Oh yeah. With my mom working here you’d think they’d get it right. But they also put me as an Omega this year. So y'know." He shrugs and hands over the paper, his eyes barely staying on Darling, and in fact only lingering on Hopper for a few extra seconds. "So uh, don't know how much news you guys are privy to, but uh, there's a bunch of new students. Mom says they’re refugees ... from, y'know. Wonderland." he drawls on, eyes drawn away from Hopper back to his paper again. 

Pushing his glasses up again Humphrey nods, "That makes sense, not many princesses wear armor as part of their dress. And uh, William I can change that for you in the server room if you... Did you say Wonderlandians?"

The princess gives Diamond a look and raises an eyebrow but doesn't bother pointing out his interest in Hopper. It didn't make sense to cause confusion on her first day and more important things were presenting themselves. "I'm actually with...Humphrey?...on this one. I didn't think that any new refugees have been able to enter since the portals are so hard to find! Or, ah, so I've heard." Darling comments, grinning widely in hopes it'll make her seem more innocent. 

"That's- that's incredible, if it's true! They must have some news on how things are going over there, Matt, Kitty and Lizzie must be super excited! And, uh, you too, William. I mean, you don't even know what it's like over there, right?" Dexter asks as he suddenly seems to remember that the pale prince is Wonderlandian, too, thanks to his parents.

William shrugs, "They told Mom about it, since she's from there. In case anything happens. I think Queen Snow knows, since y'know, portal open. There are a few kids over here. I don't know much else but it sounds neat. I was hoping to meet them, but uh, never been so i'm not sure who they are." William drawls on again, shrugging. 

The egg boy nods, "That's... That's amazing if it's true. I guess it's weird if your folks didn't know Dex, but also makes sense if they didn't say." He shrugs, "I’m sure it’ll be easy to pick them out. I’m also sure they won't want us to fall all over them, yknow?" He says and then taps William on the shoulder. "But I can fix that presentation on the server anytime." 

Patting William on the shoulder seems like the right choice, as Dexter smiles at the Wonderlandian prince before he pulls his hand back to adjust his glasses. "Yeah, what Humphrey said. It's an easy enough fix. You know, I'm wondering how many people may have had theirs misprinted...maybe we should head to the database first thing and check that Professor Rumpelstiltskin hasn't been tampering with it over the break?" 

"You know, Dexter and Daring never mention their friends much at home, so I’m kind of interested in seeing what sort of princes they’ve been spending time with.” Darling comments with a smile and a half-shrug. “I'm surprised they'd let students in the server rooms, Humphrey. Are you guys part of the A.V. club or something?" Darling asks, curious about just how much freedom students have at Ever After High. 

The corn blond grins, fixing his bow tie. "Basically me and Dexter are the AV club. And because of that we basically are IT for the mirror net! Im fixing the servers all the time." He says with an awkward laugh, shrugging, "I uh, I could show you sometime if... If you want!" He stutters out. 

The silver haired prince of diamonds groans, "Ugh speaking of the professor, he's already planning on a quiz over chapters 1-26 at the end of orientation week. But once I found out he gave me detention and said he changed it, so who knows." He sighs heavily, and scratches at his ear, "I didn't even know I could get detention before School started." 

"Sure! I'm usually more into sports - watching them, of course, everybody loves good competition - but I'd like a chance to see how everything runs here at some point." Darling agrees with Humphrey. She seems confused at hearing there's already an appointed test, though. “How can someone assign a quiz or test on material you haven’t even started covering yet?” the princess asks with a sympathetic glance at the boys. 

**Meanwhile . . .**

Daring waves a hand at his best friend. "No one asked? And besides, look at her! If we told the boys at this school about her, they'd be trying to scale her tower every night back home! Honestly it's more for their safety than ours." He leans close, whispering, "She could kick almost every prince’s ass here two ways to sunday!"

Hopper huffs out a laugh. "Oh, c'mon, it's all a show." the alpha says with a shake of his head when he considers how "scary" Darling seems to be. "I can't imagine that the Charming family made a super-princess." He doesn't seem to take the news about new Wonderlandian students very seriously...or perhaps wasn't paying as much attention as he should have.

Also having not been paying attention to the other discussion, Daring grins, teeth flashing. "Oh really? They made Super me, and well, though practice makes perfect, sometimes the first attempt isn't so bad." He wiggles his eyebrows and nudges Hopper with his elbow. "But yeah, I guess in reality it just never came up. Weren't really that close until about a year ago really."

Hopper laughs and nudges the omega back, darting a hand up to lightly push his crown crooked. "Yeah, with Mr. Perfection over here, how'd I forget? Then again, you're good enough at everything that I'd probably bet you'd have been a perfect princess, too." the alpha comments with a snort as he pictures Daring in a dress with longer hair. "Still, you could've mentioned her like...once! She seems nice!" the frog prince adds, missing his usual awkwardness over girls when he glances at Darling.

The blond prince twin, actually... Blushes at the mention of him being a princess, looking almost a little upset. "She's... Great. I guess yeah we probably should have. Sorry." He apologizes with a casual eye roll, before stepping up to the rest of the group, with a laugh, "are we standing around here all day? Finding lockers in the early school rush is a pretty good spot to start!"

Dexter is right there with her, cringing at the thought of having detention before orientation is even started. "Uh, you know, Daring's got a good point that maybe finding our lockers will be a good distraction from another one of his crazy tests. I-I'll bet I find mine before you find yours, Daring!" he adds, not wanting to be the one to admit to his sister that at least one of their teachers might be totally mental. 

There's a moment where Hopper just watches his friend with surprise at his reaction - or maybe, lack of the expected reaction - before he shakes his head and rejoins the main conversation. "I'll bet everyone else in school has already found Daring's locker! If it's covered in love letters again I think I'm stealing some to decorate with." he jokes, rocking on his heels.

Throwing an arm around Dexter, Daring is grinning and pokes him in the chest, “In your dreams, I barely even use my locker.” He chuckles, before rolling his eyes at Darling. “Rumplestiltskin. He loves to give kids detention so they can spin gold for him. He’ll resort to a lot...” 

"I want dibs on the chocolate this year!" Humphrey says with a laugh, "wasn't his first year that he had the literal avalanche during Spring Fairest?" He snickers before pulling out his MirrorPad and scanning through it. "Alright I got our locker numbers and schedules. I can print these out for us when we get to our... Oh. Did you guys know we have different Roommates this year?" He asks, blinking up confused. 

The concern is easily waved away by Daring again though, "sorry Humphrey, i've stolen my brother for this year. Figure it'll be easier for our Sister having to intrude on just our room, than anyone else." He says lying through his teeth pretty well. He and Dexter had gotten caught up in so much of Apple and Raven shenanigans that their Father forced them to share a room this year. 

The Wonderlanian prince hums, "I know where mine is already. I got here yesterday. But uh... Am I still rooming with Duke? I am not looking forward to Sparrow crashing our room all year again." He asks and groans at the nod from the glasses wearing blond. "Great. Anyone want to switch?"

Darling smiles, amused at her brother’s bold declarations, but shakes her head. "I'd offer to switch with you, but they don't let boys and girls room together, right?" Dexter confirms it with a nod and a shrug. "I can't wait to meet my roommate. I hope she's a bit less troublesome than yours sounds, William. At the very least, less trouble than Rumplestiltskin sounds like he’ll be as a teacher!"

With a laugh, Dexter shrugs. "Sparrow's alright. He's...more Daring's pal than mine, but he only crashes dorms if there's a party or if there's Duke. Those two are pretty close friends for guys that argue so much." he explains. It's easier to avoid the topic of him and Daring sharing a room...at least until he can explain to Humphrey in private. 

"Man, I just hope I'm with someone cute if I can't room with Daring! Who did I get? Allegro, maybe? Ooh, Reese Crumb isn't bad! Or- oh, man, Humphrey, please tell me I got Briar! I'd take being stuck as a frog all day if they put me in a dorm with him!" Hopper sighs, chuckling breathily as he imagines what it would be like to room with his crush.

Pushing his glasses up again and adjusting the mirror pad, Humphrey shakes his head. "Sorry Hops. Looks like they just switched us. You got me instead. And uh... Darling, you room with Cedar Wood! Heh, careful she's quick at spilling secrets. Hehe, must think you'll be a good influence on her." He says with a chuckle and an eye roll. 

Daring gives his sister a small side glance but shrugs, "and a good influence you'll be sis! And if they just set you two up, then I think we can still hang out the same pretty easily. Won't get rid of me that easily!" He jokes, giving Hopper a small shove. "Speaking of Briar... Sorry buddy, but Apple says he's dating this year." 

"I just don't understand how they get along. Or how Sparrow hasn't been kicked out yet. Isn't he already 18? I'm younger than him and I'm closer to graduating." William says with an exhale, rolling his eyes. "I'll try to figure something out. I guess i'm just more annoyed at how often he asks if I want to hook up cause he's bored."

"H-Hey! There's nothing wrong with being 18 here..." Hopper points out with a nervous laugh. He looks pointedly less excited at hearing Briar is taken, but he doesn't seem too defeated. "Thanks for the info, Daring. I've got a foolproof plan this year, though! Briar will be madly in love with me by Spring Fairest...and maybe I'll even have lost my v-card by summer break!" the alpha optimistically declares. It earns him kind of a grossed-out look from Darling. 

"Uh. I think I'll be good with Cedar. I don’t have any reason to be keeping secrets. Besides, if I had any, I wouldn’t be letting just anyone know them!" Darling points out, a conspiratorial smile quirking her lips up at the corners. 

Dexter facepalms. "Being determined is one thing, Hopper, but then there's being delusional. You can't just plan to steal Briar from whoever he's dating by spring! Daring, talk some sense into him!" the brunet groans.

The pale prince raises his hand in defence, "sorry Hops, didn't mean anything against you. Its just, hes Robin Hood, how hard can it be? If he stopped acting out and doing parties I'm sure he would have already left." He shrugs, "and it's rude to talk about stuff like that in front of a princess." He states matter of factly. 

Daring snaps his fingers and points at William. "He's right. There's no guarantee Briar would even put out for you. He is a princess, it's pretty strict to keep it to themselves y'know?" He "tries" to help, but kinda misses the mark, "besides he's going out with Magnus LeGume like... Hopper you're a very dear friend but you'd get flattened by Magnus." He also states as if it was just a fact. 

Nodding along Humphrey nods, "of course there's that, and beside Briar had that whole freakout last year about the book? Said he would refuse to date Princes until he's forced too. So you got a lot to work through. But uh, dragon speed, Grasshopper."

The prince looks confused for a second before realizing Daring means his sister. "Oh! Uh, right, sorry Darling. I got...carried away." he apologizes, red with embarrassment. Hopper doesn't look too discouraged by their (accurate) assessment of his chances. "Do...do you think I should get experience first? Sparrow suggested that last year but I didn't take him seriously. And c'mon, I'm barely even a prince! I'd be a frog eighty percent of the time. Maybe I should try swapping steps five and two in my plan? Inexperienced guys seem to get way fewer dates...not that it's ever a problem for girls..." he muses.

"Yeah, I think you might have more problems than that. But I can at least confirm that most princesses don't generally want to hear you plotting that sort of thing out loud...in public." Darling advises with a shake of her head. 'It's been less than twenty minutes and things have ended up like this. Does this make me one of the guys, or are my brothers friends with airheads?' 

Dexter groans and puts a hand around Darling and Humphrey's shoulders. "How about we go and start the locker hunt, huh? Before this gets even more out of hand and Hopper decides to propose before they date!" he suggests with a brief worry that the alpha will take his joke as a serious option.

Both blonds nod and Daring motions over his shoulder at Darling, "come along sister. We can show you a good portion of the castle by just looking for lockers. '' he says with a roll of his eyes, "and we can help you figure out the weird sorting system for the rooms." He says, reaching over Dexter to nudge Humprhey. 

The older boy rolls his eyes, "im printing them i'm printing them. Weird that your sister isn't in a Diamond room either. Only Spade." He says, "ok they are in the first computer room, and I sent the files to Dexter too just in case. But uh, sorry Dex, I was here early, already got my stuff set up. I think i'm heading up to the server room first. Blondie wants a Mirrorcast about the first day." 

"I'm not even surprised. Blondie wants a mirrorcast about everything, after all." the brunet prince comments with fond amusement. "I don't blame you for wanting to get set up, though. I can unpack later, so I'll tag along and help you. Daring, Darling, I'll see you two at lunch!" Dexter tells his siblings with a wave as he grabs Humphrey and heads off towards the castle. 

Darling waves back as her younger brother heads off and links her arm with Daring's. "Alright, looks like it's just us! I can't imagine a better guide!" she praises, grinning at the blond prince.

William steps around the group to Hopper, glancing over the scroll with his plans on it. "If that's true about inexperienced boys, it makes sense why I can't get a date either. Our luck isn't very lucky is it?" He chuckles, and mouths a few of the steps to himself. "This is... Detailed. But you'll need to rework steps 13-16. I mean you're dealing with Mad Magnus. None of that will work. And I wouldn't listen to anything Sparrow says."

If Hopper notices his friends leaving it isn't mentioned. Instead he's frowning at his scroll of seduction steps. "I need to get creative, then. Still, I think there is some credit due for Sparrow since I don't know any guys that are dating but haven't done it yet. There must be a connection!" He starts going over his plan in more detail with the prince, thoroughly sidetracked for the foreseeable time.


	2. Wonderously Awful Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes: Mars (March)Hare and Dominic (Door)Mouse are ocs
> 
> **Chapter Warnings!! :** Discussions of violence, insanity, murder, child abuse and Matricide. A PTSD attack, anxiety, crying, victim blaming, anger issues, mental illness, neglectful refugee sanctuary, triggers being exploited and made fun of.
> 
> Now, this all sounds bad, but I am listing it as plainly as possible. This **is** what is happening here even if you don’t agree or can’t pick up on it. Once again, Read at your own risk.

**7:00 am in the halls**

The morning is brisk and the birds are chattering as students slowly make their way through Bookend and to their magical school of Ever After High. The clock is striking 7:00 am, and dashing through the wide and twisting hallways is the one and only Corey Jester. The pastel multicolored-blond seems in a rather good mood, dragging his less-than-willing roommate behind him towards Bunny and Alistair's room. Getting them first would be easier than trying to find the other two in their 'single-for-now' rooms. Chase and Mars had already agreed to meet them in the Castleteria at 7:30 to start looking for their old friends. 

"Aha! Here we are. Oh, Dommy, dear, you alright? Lookin’ a little peeky." He snickers, patting the taller boy on the shoulder, and rapidly knocks on the door in front of him. "Blanc! Alistair! C’mon, we’re gonna be late!" 

Dominic sways in his feet, admittedly feeling the whiplash from the rush through the halls. "I'm not sure my feet were on the ground for half of that." the mouse answers with a small huff that is somewhere between put-out and amused . . . or maybe impressed? The mouse’s naturally sleepy tone this early in the morning makes it hard to parse out. His ear twitches when he hears talking inside, though, and he straightens up a bit more. 

Inside the room, Alistair almost jumps out of his skin at the sudden knocking. "Goodness, how long does he think it’ll take to get to the castleteria? I bet Mars isn’t even there yet." he mutters under his breath, tying a shoe. "Bunny, can you get that?"

"Of course! Oh, and, you missed a bit of- oh, here, just let me." the rabbit answers before darting a hand out and fixing a stray wave of hair that had been sticking out oddly. "There!" the alpha sighs, satisfied that it's fixed and hopping over to the door. He opens it with a wide smile and gestures to Alistair. "Just a minute and we'll be ready. We've got absolutely pages before we have to be there, anyway." Bunny reminds Corey with a giggle.

The young alpha stomps his feet and rolls his eyes, pouting. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought it wonderous to find our dear long lost friends as soon as possible. I at least want to spend as much time as we can with them, today." he says with a huff, his tone half sarcastic and half annoyed. Corey crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. "Besides who knows what trouble that hare can end up in so quickly?" 

The self-proclaimed Prince of Wonderland rolls his eyes heavily and huffs a piece of hair out of his face. "You're the only one who gets into trouble easily." he comments with a glance at the paler blond, snickering before he downs a small vial filled with a murky green substance. Immediately he pulls a face, sticking out his tongue. "Ugh, tastes like swamp. Alright, I should be ready. Let’s go?"

"Yeah! I want to see everyone quickly . . . and then the others will be so happy to see us when they get here, too. I might even hide in a teacup for Matt." Dom shares with a small smile. His tail swishing behind him is a dead giveaway for how nervous he is, but he sounds excited. 

With a quick retrieval of his bag, Bunny feels ready to go, too, and joins the others in the hall. "Then off we go! I'm sure Mars is behaving just fine, he promised me he'd be good. I bet he's having a hopping good time bothering Chase." the alpha giggles as they head off, knowing that's probably the case.

Two of the three blonds snicker, and Corey does a cartwheel to start off down the hallway. Once back on his feet he takes off in a goose-stepping rhythm, humming. "I wonder how . . . weird this school will be once it's filled with people. Almost a whole week with just the six of us and a handful of teachers . . . to hundreds of people in a day. Bit jarring, no?" 

"Well I'll admit it’ll be jarring, but I, for one, am very excited about meeting the natives. It'll be quite the adventure! And we get to see how much everyone has changed. I mean take Lizzie. Last we saw her she was ten! That's . . . That's a big change, especially with presentation and well . . . being here. What if they don't like us anymore?" Alistair asks, nervous, and his hands twitch. Something digs at him, but it's surprisingly easy to ignore right now.

Shrugging, Dominic strolls after Corey at a relaxed pace, glad to not be dragged anymore. "I'm sure they will. Lizzie never changed much from five to ten, so why change from ten to now?" he asks, confused at the difference. It slips his mind a moment later as he catches onto something Corey mentioned. "You think they'll have more students here than at home? We had so many on school day!"

Bunny lets himself drift a step closer to Alistair and brushes their arms together. "Alistair, you're absolutely unforgettable and they're not going to care about presentations. I mean, none of us care, and it's such a silly thing to fixate on, anyway!" the alpha points out with a wiggle of his ears for emphasis.

The jester nods as he crosses his arms behind his head. "I suppose so! I mean have you even counted how many rooms there are? And 4 different types! I definitely see there being several hundred students. Probably close to 40 teachers." he hums, all smiles for the brief moment. "Makes it much harder to get caught when playing pranks." Corey chuckles, glancing over his shoulder at the three others. 

The only omega shrugs and nods. "I suppose you're right Bunny. I mean, when we were quarantined . . . that can't possibly be everyone's opinions!" he says with a grin and a nod. "Corey, you shouldn't be already gagging for pranks, honestly we need to explore the culture for now. If we mess up too much, they might not let us stay."

"They can't send us back . . . what would they do, ship us to a different kingdom? Lizzie would behead someone." Dominic jokes with a soft whuff of a laugh. "Besides, Corey can't prank anyone until he learns how to prank them, anyway." the sleepy alpha points out as he scratches behind a soft, curved ear. 

Adjusting the skirt of his dress, the rabbit nods. "Of course they can't all be so awful. They were so . . . ugh. A bandersnatch has more charm. Dee and Dum could be more polite." Bunny comments, uncharacteristically sour while discussing the staff that had contained and accommodated them. "I wonder if Kitty still pranks people. It's hard to imagine she doesn't, but maybe they've reformed her."

Laughing, the jester shakes his head and makes the bells on his collar ring. "You can't reform that kind of majesty! I can't wait to see Kitty, and Matt too, I suppose, but I've missed my partner in crime." He sighs dramatically, and waves a hand in Alistair's direction, "You'll lose your hair if you keep worrying like that dearie." Corey sings. 

Immediately touching his hair, the omega gives a small growl, pouting. "I will not! Still got more than you anyway . . . " He grumbles before shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "Right, okay. I'm good. I promise no more negative nettle from me." Alistair says with a grin as he bumps Bunny slightly.

The tall mouse tries to remember the last prank that Kitty pulled on him, but just shudders. It had taken weeks to get the flour out of his pillows. "The two of you will be a force to be reckoned with. Alistair, I can hide in yours and Bunny's room if Kitkat and Corey go on a pranking spree, right?" he asks jokingly, glad that the omega is coming around. 

"Oh, no, no way! If everyone hides under Alistair's bed, I'll be dealing with twice as much snoring!" Bunny argues with a laugh before bumping Alistair back. "Corey, make sure you prank us too, so nobody tries to use us as shields."

The blonds answer simultaneously, one shouting, "Yes!" and the other a quick "No!" 

Corey snorts. "Despite dear Princey's complaints, I will happily prank anyone. Aha! Here we are~" he rumbles happily, skipping the last few feet to the Castleteria entrance. He makes a show of trying to locate the only two people in the large room, hopping onto a table, standing and turning like a weather vane, hand over his eyes. "Spotted at two'oclock!" 

"Good searching, Captain Corey! Morning Chase!" Bunny happily greets before waving at Mars.

With a huff Alistair pretends to whine at Bunny and scampers over to Mars and Chase. "Chaassee. Chase! The alphas are picking on me!" he complains playfully, leaning against the sitting knight, despite the fact that he’s standing. "You gotta stop 'em." 

The older omega chirps at their sudden intrusion and chuckles, ruffling Alistair's hair, and others if they got close enough. "Well, I'm pleased you all made it in time! And let's try to be nice today?" he asks with a hum and a raised eyebrow at Corey and a quick flick of his eyes over to Mars. "Should we wait a bit, or head out to find the others? I've already seen a few students wander through here."

Mars gets his ears out of Chase's face and instead crowds Bunny. A few quick motions and their ears are tangling together and the smaller alpha is giggling and batting at him, which has the hare grinning widely as he steps back. "I definitely think we should go looking. I've got an itch for a hopabout and the odds of Matt bothering to come here for his morning tea is slimmer than a carrot straw!" 

After the two more energetic animals separate, Dominic squeezes past them and takes his spot near Chase. "But I wanna wait here . . . that's more walking and we've already done so much this morning." the alpha groans, looking to Chase for support as Bunny giggles at the dramatics. 

"I'd rather us stick together, whichever we decide. But . . . I wouldn't mind some fresh air, either. Sorry, Dom." the white rabbit apologizes with a smile.

"Well, as an easy solution then . . . " Chase starts saying as he stands, lifting Dominic up a moment later until he can ride piggyback. "I think that can work for a while, no? At least until we find Miss Lizzie and the others." he says with a glance at the mouse on his shoulder and the other kids around him. The 6' omega nods, confident. "Ok, let’s go. Everyone walk in front of me please." Chase mentions with a small motion of his hand. 

Alistair grabs his map off the handle of his satchel and nods. "Ok, the main entrance is this way. I can lead, Chase!" he says with a chirp, wrapping an arm around Bunny and walking with him. "I can't wait to be able to explore the actual grounds around Bookend! First, quarantine and then being stuck in this stuffy castle? Blech."

Bunny nods, excited and slightly pink from the affectionate contact. "I know! Going all over Bookend, exploring the forest, ooh and whatever was down that cliff we saw! There's so much to look at. It'll last us at least until June."

The jester pouts, but resumes his (frankly, rather silly) walk with a huff. "It's not fair that he gets to be carried when he's the next biggest and can turn into a mouse! It's disappointing, really, Chase." He tries to prod at the omega, but the older boy is too used to the pouting and side steps it easily with a roll of his eyes.

There's a scoff from Mars as Alistair moves to take the lead, the hare dropping back to walk with Corey instead. "Just because we can shrink doesn't mean you get next dibs on being carried." he reminds the jester with an amused glance back at Chase. "But Dom is gonna get spoiled if you keep that up, Mister Knight!"

"Nuh-uh . . . " Dom makes a disagreeing noise - more a chittering rumble than a growl. "M'not spoiled! I just know better than to walk when I can . . . can get a ride." the mouse mentions, head dipping down and voice dropping to a lower volume as he continues. 

The soldier looks a little conflicted when he says, "Well, I mean, if you, Dom and Bunny shrink down, I could probably carry everyone if I wanted. So, Corey, you'd have to take that up with Dom." he says, trying to keep the peace with the easily-upset Alpha. Chase shifts Dominic in his arms and shrugs as he is doing it. "I don't mind you guys getting a little spoiled. I mean you deserve it, and your all part of the court in some way. It's my job to spoil court members." 

The jester instantly perks at being called part of the court and laughs, "ah, right, right! So many good qualities with you Redford. Glad we decided to keep you after all." The blond rumbles happily before tapping Dom on the foot. "I want a ride at some point! You can ride in my bells as a mou~se if ya want." 

Glancing over his shoulder and snickering at the other alphas, Alistair rolls his eyes before responding to Bunny. "Yeah that's only 6 months though . . . I hope we'll find more to explore as we go. I mean if we're here for a while, then I don't want to see everything in just six months, y'know?" he asks, tilting his head at the shorter boy.

Giggling, Bunny tilts his head as well and lets a fluffy white ear bop his best friend. "Just wait until we get a long break! Maybe we can start visiting other kingdoms . . . ooh, or other realms! I've heard there's a realm where everything is candy." the alpha chirps excitedly.

"Oh please, we kept Chase because he was our best bet and already knew us. Besides, you know as well as I do that he didn't want to come here." Mars points out, unafraid to acknowledge how upset the older boy was when their portal closed. 

There's a jolt from Dominic where he sits atop the knight, as he forces himself to focus rather than fall asleep. "Oh . . . sure. Just don't jingle me. I don't . . . don't wanna be a jingle bell. Not again." Dom replies as he looks over Chase's shoulder at Corey. He's gone a moment later, a burst of gold and copper glitter heralding his change into a small mouse and landing on Chase's shoulder with a plop.

Thankfully when the jester cheers and immediately jumps up onto the knight, it disrupts the knight's tirade about to start on the portal. Instead, the sudden action causes Chase to chirp loudly in surprise and scramble to hang onto the smaller blond. He situates the excitable boy and offers Dom his front shirt pocket as well. Once the mouse is safely inside, the red knight takes off again with a shrug at Mars. "I'm bad at saying no. And it doesn't really bother me." Chases says to the hare. 

From his new vantage point, Corey grins down at Mars and grins, showing off his little fangs. He snuggles into the back of Chase's hair with a laugh, and wiggles his feet. "C'mon on, those two are getting ahead of us! Onward, knight!" he commands with a laugh and a happy rumble as the older male obliges.

With a dreamy sigh, Alistair nods at the white rabbit. "Candy? Oh I haven't had sweets in forever after! I can't even wait just to see Bookend, and the Hatter's tea shop! That'd be just like home used to be, I'm sure. Maybe we can find out that I have the same knack at finding thin spaces between realms as my mother did . . . or uh . . . as she does." He covers his mistake with a small cough, biting on his lip.

The rabbit eyes his omega friend with some worry, but doesn't outright call him on the slip. "Between the two of us, we'll find any gap there is." Bunny assures him as he starts thinking about sweets. "Can you imagine it? Tea, with honey and lemon. A muffin. Oh, wonders, Alistair, they might have cake here! Actual cake!" It's . . . pretty easy to see the small alpha has gotten sidetracked and is thinking with his stomach.

"They might even have carrot cake." Alistair exclaims with a laugh at his best friend.

"You should still spoil yourself sometimes, then. Now that we aren't in a warzone and everything, there's not going to be a whole lot of knightly duties to do . . . " Mars points out with a shrug. "I'd be considering a vacation." 

Dom curls up in Chase’s shirt pocket happily and only squeaks and flicks his ears at Corey when the alpha grins at him, not bothering to respond while getting comfy. "Thanks, Chase. S'so much softer than your armor . . . s'nice." he praises even as the omega marches onward. 

"Yes, absolutely, Chase! You need a vacation. Better yet just take Lizzie when we see her, and keep her away from me." He grumbles from his perch and shakes his head, muttering, "Honestly Chase, I don't know why you think you're exempt from school! As student council president of Wonderland High, I would've given you detention six times over!" he says with a playful pat to the older boy's head. 

The knight gives a low growl, warning the two younger Alphas, "Can we just drop this subject? I appreciate that you all are happy with my obvious failure to perform, but I am not as keen on reliving it." Chase grumbles before actually letting Corey drop. The jester squeaks but lands on his feet. With a 'harumph!' the petite blond stomps off to Alistair and Bunny. Sighing heavily, Chase runs a hand through his hair and looks at Mars with his other hand on his hip. "Should I apologize to him? I mean, he’s just teasing, and you’re both kids . . . I shouldn’t take out my feelings on you both. Sorry Mars." 

Alistair lets out a small growl as Corey shoves by him. "What in the world is his problem? Really, you think he'd be a little more grateful at all this." he snarks, never having gotten along well with the jester. 

They are taken by surprise by a squeal to their left - even Corey stops walking. Somehow they seem to be at the doors already, and the squeals came from a rapidly approaching Matt Hatterr and others following suit with a fondly confused purple haired girl following.

"Whatever. It's all tea under the spoon, anywa-" Mars gets cut off by the squealing girls and squealing boy, his ears snapping straight up to attention as his head whirls around. It takes a second to process before he's sprinting full-tilt at the Hatter and crashing into him, face burying into his chest as he squeezes the cream and sugar out of Matt. 

Lizzie is practically shrieking as she tears towards them, easily keeping up with Matt. She barrels into Alistair first, nearly knocking him and Bunny over, squeezing them both tightly. "OH MY FAIREST, HOW DID YOU GET HERE?! AAH!" 

The alpha laughs in surprise and struggles to hug his queen-to-be despite her death grip on them both. "Hi to you, too, everyone!" Bunny squeaks out. 

There's another squeal that edges into an almost deranged cackle as Kitty materializes right in front of Corey and throws her arms around him with an overenthusiastic purr. "You're here! Did you sneak through a rabbit hole? WeHaveSoMuchToTalkAboutOhMyGodmotherWhenDidYOUGetHot?!" the Cheshire girl demands with a laugh.

Now if there's one thing that Chase is proud of, it's his training reflexes and luckily they immediately kick into gear. He's happy he saw Mars take off before all the colliding happened or he might be having a similar reaction to what he sees is about to start with Corey. The poor alpha always did have the easiest trigger out of them that were affected. Even the benefit of their new medications doesn’t seem to be enough. Chase moves quickly, depositing Dominic into Alistair's hair as he breezes past, and gets in between Kitty and Corey easily. 

The blond had responded with a screech and a swift right hook, but luckily it glanced off Chase due to his sudden arrival, and he scopes Corey up and holds him in a toddler carry style, pressing the blonde's face to his neck. It seems to work well in fixing the immediate violent behavior as instead the boy bursts into tears and hugs the knight tightly. Chase gives a small apologizing smile to Kitty but hurriedly moves more to the side, almost putting them both in a corner, sitting with the blond still attached but sitting in his lap instead, talking quietly to him. 

There's a good few beats of silence before there's a sound of someone clearing their throat. The purple haired girl raises an eyebrow, "Quite the way to start a day. Uh, Kitty are you alright? I'm not really sure what's happened here. Is everyone, . . . okay?" She asks, glancing around the group. 

Sitting up after pushing hard on Mars, Matt wipes his eyes and stares at his old best friend with wide eyes. "Was that Corey? What happened? Kitty didn't mean to scare him, should I . . . " He starts, about to stand up. 

Mars grips even harder to Matt and yanks him closer with a shudder. "Don't go near him! He needs to calm down first or he'll . . . he'll hurt you." the hare tells the hatter seriously, curling back into his chest.

There's a gasp from Lizzie as she loosens her hold and steps back from the boys she was just squeezing the air out of. "I- I didn't think that Kitty was quite that frightening. Something isn't right, here! What did we do?" she asks, already sounding tearful. 

Kitty covers her mouth with both hands and her ribbon droops along with her shoulders. "Oh . . . oh, kitty litter. I didn't mean to scare him! I mean, he- I always used to- that's what I always used to do!" she defends, watching the omega trying to calm her prankster friend down.

"We . . . we startle pretty easily these days. Corey, especially, so maybe we shouldn't, um, shouldn't scream so much? At least not while running at each other." Bunny tries to explain as he tucks his hair from his face. "Chase can calm him down, but it'll take some time."

The two in the corner seem to be doing a little better, Corey at least has seemed to stop crying and is talking quietly with the older Omega, but noticeably still shaky, glancing around the hall. 

Able to maneuver enough, Alistair gently plucks the slowly awakening mouse out of his hair and bites his lip. _'This is it. We're too broken, weird, they won’t want us anymore . . . It's been 5 years, they could've moved way on . . . '_

Dominic shudders into Alistair's hands by the sudden breeze and peeks over the edge of the omega's palm to look around. "What did I miss?" he asks sleepily, trying to beat back the edge of sleep so it doesn't pull him back under again.

Putting Dominic onto his shoulder, Alistair sighs, "Corey got spooked by Kitty and almost attacked her. But those vile tasting potions must work a bit if he's already starting to calm down." He says with a glance over, and nods a little as Chase nods over Corey's head. "They'll be back soon." He scuffs his foot and scratches Dom under the chin. "How much do you guys know about what's happening back home?" He asks, nervously glancing at his friends. 

As he gets pulled back to the floor, Matt lets out a squeak before shaking his head, "Barely anything! I know dad got news somewhere but wouldn't tell me anything. Most of Lizzie's letters never made it . . . We don't really know much. Does . . . Does this have to do with that? I mean you guys aren't jumping when we scream. I mean screaming kinda happens a lot here . . . " He says with a confused head tilt like a puppy, pointing behind him, as someone else squeals at meeting a friend. 

Whistling Raven shakes her head then nods. "The few things that have come through . . . haven't been pretty, and knowing what little we do about the curse . . . yeah, I can see that as a reasonable reaction. If there is anything we can do to help you all . . . " She offers, before blinking, "I must look so weird. Um. I'm Raven, Matt's BFFA I guess. At least here." She chuckles.

"We really haven't heard anything! I keep writing, even though I haven't gotten a response in . . . well, ever, really . . . " Lizzie admits as she looks between her old friends. She isn't sure how to help and doesn't know what to do. 

Kitty frowns, nodding along with the mutual agreement of their lack of knowledge. She slowly edges closer to Chase and Corey, hoping to steal a hug as soon as the alpha is calmer.

Eyes glare over Matt's shoulder briefly before Mars slowly lets go of his shirt. "We managed, back home. Mostly because of Kitty and Alistair's moms. And Chase - he stayed with us since the start of it. He was ordered to, but he secretly loves us." Mars tells Matt with a small, crooked smile that shows off his buck teeth. 

Bunny's ears droop as he rubs his arms. "Well . . . it's . . . it's not very nice. It makes all of us a bit more sensitive to things. And, um. I guess the easiest way to say it is we probably shouldn't have people running at us while screaming. It might trigger some bad memories." the alpha admits. "The Wonderlandians aren't all very friendly anymore." 

Wrapping an arm around Bunny, Alistair shrugs, "We managed very well considering." Though the blond omega doesn’t look too confident of his own words.

"Oh. Things got complicated." Dominic mumbles into Alistair's hair. He sits up enough to wave a paw at the others and, especially, Raven. "It's nice to meet you . . . careful, Mars gets possessive." he warns with a yawn before scuttling down Alistair's back and turning back to his human form. 

Matt chuckles, and hugs Mars before standing up fully. "Yeah! Don't worry though Mars Bars. You’re like . . . my brother! Or . . . my soulmate! Raven is just the best friend ever! I don't know how I'd have survived living here and not with you all, if I hadn't had her!" he says, hugging Raven.

The princess rolls her eyes and gives Matt a small nuzzle. "It's nice to meet you all as well . . . I guess you're all refugees from Wonderland? I thought it was all sealed up? How'd Alice and the Cheshire cat get you all over here? 

" . . . I guess I have to thank you, then." Mars grits out, though he looks like he's just swallowed a lemon. "Thanks for taking care of Matt. It's . . . not all that complicated how we got here, so don't expect a fun story or anything." he warns, hands slipping into his pockets. 

Dom chimes in a moment later, thankfully, to fill in for Mars. "What he means is that it all happened pretty quickly. There's a small opening between our worlds that Alistair and Kitty's mom led us through. It's not usable without some kind of guide so that's probably why nobody's ever gotten out before."

Nodding, Bunny leans faintly into the arm wrapped around him. "That's pretty much it, actually. There's a portal they keep open but it's really hard to get to. I don't think we're supposed to tell you where . . . that way nobody's tempted to go back home or start going back and forth." he adds with a regretful smile at his friends, knowing they'd probably ask about visiting if he didn't mention it.

There seems to be a commotion from Corey and Chase, as they both get back to their feet. They say a few more things, before Chase is nodding and waving his hand at Corey, who arms open gestures at Kitty and hugs her tight when she comes to collect. "I’m sorry Kitty! I know you didn't mean to scare me." He says quietly to her, nuzzling into her twin tails. 

The cat-themed girl purrs at her friend and wraps her arms around him gratefully. "I'm just glad you guys are here and okay!" she admits as she nuzzles back. "I've missed you so much, I thought I'd see you Never After!"

The jester rumbles and hugs his cat friend tightly, even picking her up for a brief moment. "Well almost! But we Wonderlandians are tough stuff." He says with a slight watery chuckle and gently cuffs her on the pigtails. "Now, maybe I heard it wrong. But did you call me hot?"

With a flustered meow, Kitty playfully bats at his chest. "I just mean you, you know, grew up! And you're not hideous. There are some . . . ugh . . . really ew-y princes here. And none of them have a sense of humor!" she explains, adding her playful complaints with a wink.

The knight smiles at Corey and Kitty before turning and giving Lizzie a deep bow, "Princess. Sorry for the delay. I have something for you." He says before reaching into his bag, and pulling out a thick stack of letters. "Your mother wanted me to give these to you. It's only a year's worth, that's when I had to leave the Castle grounds." He says holding them out to her. 

Lizzie gasps and a hand comes up to her mouth. She looks ready to cry as she walks up to Chase and takes the letters. The princess looks down at them for a long few seconds before throwing herself at Chase with widespread arms. "Thank you, Chase. Thank you for- for getting here, and bringing my friends a-and letters from my m-mother!" She trips over her words with little sobs but it's clear they're from joy

Surprisingly the knight looks well . . . surprised at the sudden affection, if not a little pained. "It’s . . . It's the least I could do considering. I hope they bring you some sort of comfort . . . " He mentions, being very delicate with his hand placements when he 'hugs' back, before quickly putting at least an arms distance between them, looking a little helpless at the others. 

Alistair takes pity on him and lets go of Bunny, to wrap an arm around Lizzie instead, "You'll have to tell us all about Ever After, Lizzie! We've been uh . . . unable to explore much since we got here. And the past week we've been locked up here in the school. Finally cracked the sorting system at least!" He praises himself. 

Raven nods at the others and bites at her lip, "We should probably find a nice quiet spot to talk. The kids here can be like vultures when they spot new students." She says, tripping over her words a little, trying to downplay her analogy. "And before Blondie Locks sees you. You'll all be a feature in her mirrorcast otherwise." 

Matt giggles, “You know sometimes I wondered about Alice and Chesire being . . . Well, nah, let’s not go with that thinking. It’s a bit silly!” before nodding at Raven and throwing an arm around her neck, forcing her to bend a bit, and around Mars' waist. "Raven does have a point. If we can’t talk about how you got here, then maybe we can discuss tea time!" he says with a mad laugh, playful thankfully.

"Oh! Yes, yes this is nice, but we should get somewhere private immediately! Blondie is nice enough, but Raven's right that she'll be on you like butter on scones!" Lizzie agrees, clutching the letters to her chest and gesturing for her friends to follow as she starts hurrying them off towards the library. 

Mars relaxes slightly into the physical contact, forcing himself to ignore the princess in black and purple. Or, at least, forcing himself not to growl at her as they start walking again. "Trust me, we have enough uncomfortable questions about those two. We're leaving it at the fact that Alistair and Kitty aren't siblings." 

Bunny tilts his head before it clicks for him, a smile spreading widely. "Oh, it might be fun to be on a mirrorcast eventually! I've been watching them for the last couple of months we've been here. I'm totally hooked on the 'Ever After's Next Top Model' confession booth. I can't watch the whole episodes but it seems dramatic!"

With a wink and a grin, the multi-colored blond bumps hips with the purple haired cat-girl and shrugs, before following the group, hand and hand with Kitty. "Oh did I? I've barely even grown 3 inches and yet here you are praising it. I mean you're taller than me. You'd think being an Alpha would’ve helped, but looking at Matt, I suppose not." Corey snickers, skipping a few steps. 

Reclaiming his spot next to Bunny, Alistair nods, "I couldn’t get those stupid second rate mirror pads to work for me. But I liked the books they supplied! Though really, I just hope not everyone in Everafter is like those workers. Accommodating to a point and vocal about everything they didn't like." he grumbles, rolling his eyes. 

The hatter nods sagely, "Right! It was weird enough finding out we were almost siblings, Mars! Could you have imagined? Or when I found out that Alice dated my dad for a bit! Ohhhh I hope that doesn't mean I'm Alistair's brother!" He laughs, and bumps his head against the hare, 

As Lizzie hurries off, Chase immediately goes to follow, but stutters to a stop and lets the others get ahead of him, so he travels at the back of the group. He has to keep reminding himself that these halls aren't dangerous, not like he's used to anyway, and he doesn't need to be able to see all of their group properly, but it'd sure help his nerves if he could. So Chase continues following them, making sure to catalog how students are moving around them in case an escape is necessary. 

With a sigh at having to walk, Dom turns into a mouse instead and scurries up Raven's leg. It takes a leap, but he grabs the hem of her dress and is starting to climb before he considers that maybe it's not a great choice. Climbing is almost as bad as walking, after all. 

Suppressing a scream at feeling something run up her leg, the princess stops, and raises an eyebrow at the small mouse, "You could've asked for a ride." She says with a chuckle, before picking him up and setting him comfortably on her shoulder, tucked under her dress's neckpiece.

With an apologetic squeak, Dom snuggles into the feathers. "Sorry. Used to people being used to it." he admits from Raven's dress. "I'm Dominic. Son of the Doormouse . . . normally I'd ride in Matt's hat, but it's a big climb."

Chuckling, Raven shakes her head, "Not used to mice, but other creatures. And hmm, I suppose. But Matt is quite a bit shorter than me, I don't really see how that's a bigger climb." she chuckles. 

"You'd be surprised. He's wigglier than you look." Dominic explains simple, tail wrapping around himself as he rides the girl.

"It's at least an improvement over how tall you used to be! Besides, wait until you see more of the Ever After students. They're all as tall as Raven! Well, almost all. Makes it easier to trip them." the prankster giggles as she swings their linked hands back and forth. "I hope you've got some good pranks up your sleeves, still, because I think I'm starting to get predictable!" she whines. 

Lizzie rolls her eyes as she leads them around a corner. "Predictable? You dyed Apple's hair pink last month as a prank . . . just in time for Spirit week! She was thrilled." She looks back at Alistair at the mention of workers and purses her lips, holding back questions until they can safely shut themselves in the library. _'Almost there!'_

The jester laughs, pulling Kitty towards him with a twirl. "You? Predictable? Oh dear maybe they have conformed you into a behaving citizen!" 

"I'm just glad they finally gave me something other than those silly gossip magazines. And they were so old! I mean, why do I care what the white princess wore at Spring Fairest last year? She's not even the white queen's daughter, just some queen named White." Bunny complains, nose wrinkling distastefully at the thought of the original entertainment he'd been offered.

That makes Alistair clap his hands, "Oh, that's right! The White Queen moved here shortly after I was born! We'll have to find her, see the long lasting effects from living here." He nods, smiling to himself. "I wonder what she’s like. . .”

With a quick step to keep up with Mars’ longer ones, Matt wiggles his eyebrows and grins. "If the pot’s still around, I think we'd have to expand it to include all of us in 'find Ali's possible father choices!' Hehe." He says a little lower, just for his taller friend. 

Mars grins at the reminder of their old bets. "I don't think we've added new suspects to the Dad-pool since a little after you all left. The White Knight? Found out he was blond, too, and he's kinda tall." the hare explains, leaving off the fact that they didn't get the chance to ask him. 

"Wait, he was part of the pool? So did he win? I think that's something you'd have to start with, Mars!" Matt hums and tilts his head this way and that. "No no, that doesn't sound right . . . Is the white knight putting in a bet? Was he the last one you added? Hmmm . . . riddles!" the hatter cackles. 

Before the ‘question’ could be answered they had rounded the last corner to their destination and Lizzie peeks inside the large room before ushering them all in. "Chase, don't lollygag in the back! Come on before the Step-Sisters return." she encourages. The princess leads them to a secluded part of the library and claims a seat quickly. 

"We'll be safe here? Couldn't someone come in at any point?" Bunny asks with a glance around. He doesn't sit for now, feeling tense. 

Kitty shakes her head in the negative and disappears before reappearing on the arm of a chair. She pats the seat to encourage Corey to sit with her. "Now, can we start talking about important stuff?"

There's a grimace from Mars and his ears twitch uncomfortably. "I guess we can. I think I'd rather keep betting on how much of Wonderland Alistair's mom dated, though.”

The jester vaults over the table with a cartwheel and lands in the chair next to Kitty giggling, "No wait, Mars has a point. Talking about 'lil miss perfect Alice' and her wild sex adventures is the most fun in chapters." he says with a laugh as Alistair pouts. 

"It's not my fault my mother was . . . experimental! Besides I keep telling you all she was already pregnant before she got to Wonderland! Honestly, you think she would've stayed in one spot for 9 months?" Alistair snorts, before spinning a chair around and sitting on it backwards, resting his arms on the back, and his head on those. 

Mars shrugs and his ears dip a bit as he realizes that the topic is going to come back up, eventually, and he decides to bite the bullet. “So, if we’re talking about this . . . do you guys wanna start with us escaping the castle, or the beheadings?”

Unbeknownst to them, Matt blinks, mouth agape like a gasping fish. "W-wait . . . there . . . there were actual beheadings?" he almost whispers, sounding horrified. "Please tell me that was one of your bad jokes!" 

Raven gives the small mouse a pet and also pulls a chair over. She's quiet for Matt's questioning, knowing the lengths her mother would go to. She glances at all the new Wonderlandians and how they keep trying to dance around subjects and wonders to herself briefly. "Um, if we need it for utmost privacy, I can give us a few soundproofing spells, or even a barrier . . . " Raven offers gently, not sure how they'd react to magic.

Following in last, Chase purses his lips. "I'm sure we don't need anything like that, Miss Raven. And Madam Lizzie, please, I don't think we really need to go into details . . . not . . . not all of them. Some things should never be known, so, if we can limit who does . . . it'll be for the better." the knight tries to reason, hoping that he wouldn't have to explain exactly how bad it was.

"Maybe only one person should talk about what happened then? I know some of us get . . . carried away." Dominic suggests from his perch. 

Lizzie looks between them all, hands clenched tightly and a worried frown on her face. "I . . . I don't know what to ask first. I have so many questions, and now you're telling me that people - MY people - are dying but I shouldn't ask details?" 

There's a sympathetic purr from Bunny. "It's . . . it's not something that can be helped. Knowing everything would be cruel when we can't fix things!" he explains, realizing even as he finishes that it isn't very comforting. 

" . . . Yeah, there were beheadings. Haven't heard from anyone aside from Alice and Cheshire in ages." Mars confirms quietly since none of his other friends have, yet. 

Kitty shudders and slips off of her perch and into the chair properly. "Oh . . . that's . . . that's a lot less fun than teasing Alistair." she comments, at a loss when confronted with actual tragedy.

The jester quickly waves a hand, "Honestly, I agree with Chase. Surprisingly, but of course Little Miss would want us reliving terrible things. Tch." He scoffs and hunches his shoulders, turning his head away from the others when Chase gives him a warning look. 

Alistair bites his lip, looking between friends he hadn't seen in years, and the ones he traveled with. "I . . . I guess it wouldn't be right to withhold information . . . It's their home, too. I would want to know if I was in their shoes." he says, glancing back at Chase. 

The knight shakes his head. "I would have to be the one explaining, and I'm saying no! Princess I can easily give you the relevant information without making anything worse, and your mother's letters detail the entire first year from her perspective, isn't that enough?" Chase asks, a rare action from the chess piece. 

Quietly, Raven continues to pet Dominic, distracted as she subtly does a small barrier spell - not to trap anyone in, but to prevent others from coming too close and to muffle them a bit. 

Taking a seat next to Corey, and kinda pulling it closer to Mars still, is Matt, swallowing hard. "I . . . I don't care if it's cruel or . . . or what! I want to know what happened to everyone, I want to know why Corey freaked out, and what we can do to help you guys. So you feel better here! I can’t if I don't know what you went through, I . . . Corey is right and we shouldn't bring up painful memories but . . . just this once . . . can we be selfish and ask?" he asks his old friends, head tilted, voice tight, almost begging.

"There's no point in hiding it all. It wasn't even all bad, hex." Mars mutters in an irritated tone. He doesn't seem as bothered as Bunny or Chase seem to be, despite his posture being blatantly one of discomfort. 

Lizzie seems sympathetic for a moment, looking at Chase sadly, before her expression hardens into something stubbornly determined. "Chase, I need to know what happened to our home. You can be mad at me if you like, but . . . but I order you as the Princess of Hearts to explain the situation in Wonderland!" she says, shifting into a louder tone as she continues. "I won't sit here without knowing how my own people are faring!" 

It earns a flinch from Dominic but he reigns himself in to just a sigh. "It's good Chase is explaining. It'll make more sense than the others." he quietly informs Raven. "If Mars or Alistair butts in, don't take them . . . too seriously." 

A small noise of concern escapes as Bunny tries not to seem too surprised by Lizzie raising her voice. "Ordering him is too much, Lizzie! Even if I think you have the right to know, that's hard for Chase." he tells the princess with a glance between them, worried for the knight.

"I'm sorry if it's painful for you, but I'm with Lizzie and Matt! This matters to all of us and if we had any way to get more news, we already would know. Or at least try to!" Kitty argues, crossing her arms and scowling that some of the others are arguing against it.

The knight freezes and almost looks a little betrayed, before the expression is gone and he's standing rigid and at attention. "Chase Redford, red knight of the Board Court, reporting in, Princess Lizzie." he states, voice hard and slightly angry, but mostly defeated.

"The Evil Queen invaded Wonderland on April 7th 2015. She cast a curse that infected native Wonderlandians with something that increased agitation, anxiety, and caused mental deterioration. It started in a small northern suburb, and in the reports of what was happening and how rapidly it was spreading, the Queen ordered an evacuation. Unfortunately due to a mix up with an infected messenger, you three and a few others were the only ones to escape in the castle's immediate territory." He swallows heavily before continuing, "Within less than a year, most of Wonderland was infected and everyone was getting worse. We've managed to deduce that the curse came in stages and if we could control that, we could get most under a . . . a treatment plan or- or something.”

“But around October of 2015, some . . . some of the Board Court got infected. The uh . . . The Red Queen quickly bypassed lower levels of the curse and felt betrayed by the rest of the court. She took to beheading them, including her king, before she was kil-- stopped. But due to the viciousness of the attacks, it sent multiple people in the Castle grounds in a rapid downward spiral. It became a madhouse, and the last we saw of the Queen was when she instructed me to get all of the kids out into the dark forest. And to keep the people of Wonderland safe as . . . as the last chess piece alive.” 

“In the woods we," he gestures at their whole group, "encountered the white knight, who was on sabbatical when the castle fell. We were with him for several months before uh . . . " He gives a small shrug. ``He, uh . . . Let's just say he died. That’s . . . " He looks uncomfortable, actively shifting. "We ran into Cheshire in June of 2019, and then into Alice in August. We managed to cross over in early September, where Cheshire and Alice got everyone into a mandatory 100 day quarantine, trapping me over here with them. We were just released a week ago, and have been confined to the school since." he says, purposefully skirting around the actual details and trying to find a loophole in the orders as best he can.

"It drives them all . . . mad? The curse sent them all truly, horribly mad?" Lizzie asks, voice wavering. It takes a concentrated effort for her not to cry - she'll have time for that later. "You . . . you must have been so lucky to survive. Or terribly unlucky, being trapped there and alone-! I can't even begin to imagine how that must have been for the six of you. Oh magic, Chase, your parents! How can I be thinking about- about just my mother, when you've lost your whole family?" she asks rhetorically, standing up with a shake of her head. "How . . . how did you all escape the curse?" 

Bunny looks suddenly sick when the White Knight is mentioned, face going pale and his hands clenching in his dress's skirt. He forces himself to take deep breaths so he at least looks reasonably calm enough for the rest of the explanation. "That . . . That sums it up pretty well." he adds quietly. "We didn't get many rumors, we tried to stay away from people. So . . . we don't . . . We don't know much about what happened at the castle after Chase came for us all." 

There's a soft snuffle from the mouse on Raven's dress. "Maybe I should go cuddle Bunny . . . the White Knight is a sensitive topic . . . " Dominic mumbles, not seeming to pay much mind if Raven can hear him. "No . . . no, I might just get put in a pocket . . . " He sighs and leans his head on one paw.

The tall, moodier, alpha bristles at the mention of the same character and bares his teeth. "The knight wasn't even with us that long. Some chess piece he turned out to be. We never even made it to White Country." Mars comments with a hint of bitterness. 

There's a strange beat of silence that gets broken when the blond jester starts cackling like a screeching crow. He wipes at an eye, swiping a tear away. "Aw, Mars don't try to act so defensive! You can admit it was all your fault he died, since you kept running away." Corey says with a fanged smile, voice sickeningly sweet and cruel. 

Immediately Alistair growls, glaring at the jester, "Can you just not be a fuckwad for, like, a day? Honestly, it's been five years of your bullshit, and I'm sick of it." he starts but gets off by Chase smacking his hand on the table, startling both boys. 

"Both of you, stop it. We don't need to fight each other here, okay?" Chase sighs heavily, leaning against one of the bookcases and rubbing at his eyes. "I’m fine Miss Lizzie, really. As the only knight left, it was an honorable duty to stop the violence in the castle and escape with everyone. But uh . . . " He looks horribly conflicted as he continues, "We didn't . . . really escape the curse. I . . . maybe I should've lied, and some of us are worse than others, but we all have things to manage the symptoms and once we figure out the spell used to curse Wonderland, we were told it could be reversed. Every spell can be." He finishes, the last sentence sounding slightly frantic. 

Again, there's a jump from Bunny at the louder noise. He works up a smile, though, and tries to look reassuring for his friends. "It's okay. We're not . . . we're not dangerous. I can't imagine they would let us stay if we were!" Bunny's giggle sounds a little hysterical before it cuts abruptly into a sob that the rabbit covers his mouth to stop. "Sorry. It's just- it's so hard to believe we're really here." he explains with a watery smile. 

The sound of a chair scraping is a little jarring, but Alistair gets up quickly and circles the table to get to Bunny, wrapping his arms around the tiny Alpha. "It's okay Bunny, as long as they're happy, it's okay to cry!" He says with a small purr and a nuzzle. "And who knows, with all of us, we'll find answers quicker than that time we all got lost in Matt's hat." He tries to reassure the albino. 

The alpha laughs and lets himself cry, wrapping his arms around Alistair as well. "I know . . . I'm just so happy we made it! I'm- I'm-!" the alpha's voice drops softly as he curls into Alistair's hug. "We're going to be okay. We're really going to be okay, and I know we'll find some way to help." 

"It’s true! There isn't a spell yet that can't be reversed. It's just . . . difficult with some of them . . . I'm so sorry you all had to go through that." Raven says, keeping a close eye on the hare and jester, since Matt and Kitty seem to be between them. "Maybe we can help you all research while we're here." 

" . . . You must get good history grades if you know a lot about researching, huh? Or you're from a magical story, maybe. That's handy." Dominic comments in a surprisingly optimistic tone, peeking up at Raven.

Chuckling slightly, Raven manages to shrug without disturbing the mouse too much. "I have a bit of magic, that's true. And I can work well with dark magic, hence . . . " She gestures at her outfit. "So I definitely think I can help." She grins before standing from her recliner and moving to the table where everyone else was, both to give Lizzie a little privacy, and so Dominic could comfort his friends if he wanted. 

Kitty pulls at one of her pigtails, clawed fingers tangling through her own hair in something close to a comforting petting motion. "They knew you were here . . . they didn't even tell us that you guys made it to Ever After." she mentions, realizing that her friends have been safe and nearby for so long but nobody bothered to share that information. She can't actually muster a smile to disappear so instead she reaches out and grabs Corey's arm to help ground her for the moment.

The hatter is quiet, head hanging down, and shoulders tense. "Dad didn't even mention you were all here. He must've known what was happening and didn't tell us! I’m . . . I'm just glad you guys are here . . . even if you think you're trapped . . . Once the school year starts, you'll be able to explore." The smaller alpha states, trying to lighten the tension. "I just . . . I thought I was prepared for hearing what it might be . . . "

Mars would have risen to Corey's bait if Chase hadn't cut in. As it is, he's able to see the group's reactions more properly with his head calm. The hare takes the steps he needs to move into Matt's personal space and drops a hand on his shoulder. "Your dad might not have known. Even the teachers seemed surprised we were here." 

Clasping the hand on his shoulder, Matt smiles up at the hare, or well, tries to. He tugs the hand a little until he's convinced the older boy to move around the chair more, and give him a tight hug. "I guess. We should talk to him though. And he'll be a small bit of home, the good side of home . . . and there's Wonderland Grove! So . . . so . . . It won't be all bad, okay?" he asks the brunet, biting at his lip. 

Unlike the others, Mars doesn't hug back quickly. When he does, it's tight and he practically curls over his alpha friend. "Okay. It can't be all bad, anyway, if you're around. I'd trade all'a Wonderland for ya, Matt."

"You guys have all been through way too much. I, for one, think that this is our chance to give you fresh starts." Kitty says, still keeping a hand on Corey and looking at her friends. "It won't be like it was . . . but we can all work together to reverse the curse, just like Raven suggested. And if anyone can help research the Evil Queen, it's her!" she adds encouragingly, as the look Lizzie shoots Kitty could whither a rose, and the future queen of hearts quickly motions with her hand to drop the issue

Quietly, the jester wraps a hand around Kitty's and gives a small smile. "Thanks for sticking around. I'm sure it won't be easy, but we are trying. Even if I'm mostly a brat." he admits with an uneasy chuckle, tightening the small hold he has on the feline girl for a moment, before letting go again. 

Kitty actively gets up and hugs the jester with a small purr. "We're all works in progress! Besides, you've always been a brat, but you're my brat. And we'll be brats together!" she informs him with a conspiratorial cackle. 

When Lizzie glances at Chase again, she finally processes what he's said and her eyes go wide. The princess takes the steps needed to close the gap between them and grab Chase's hands. "I'm sorry I forced you to tell me, but . . . but I'm glad I know. No matter what happened, you're all my friends and you've been through more than I'll ever understand. Please . . . please stay here, Chase. Don't try to go back, because I don't think I can lose you, now that I know what you'd be going back to." Lizzie softly begs him. 

Squeezing his princess' hands back, the older omega shakes his head. "Princess I . . . I was ordered to protect Wonderland, and save people. I . . . I haven't done that, and now that I'm here I'm trapped. I can't do anything . . . I . . . I can't do anything right. I'm not even a real knight! Never got to coronation . . . and Mom . . . Mom is just as tragic as so many others and I . . . How can I protect them if I'm trapped here?"

"Chase, protect us here. Help me . . . help me be the next Queen, so I'm ready when we go home." she orders him with a gentle tone. "I'll knight you, once you prove yourself here, and nobody will ever argue that you haven't earned it after saving our friends." She looks over at the table at Dom's loud suggestion and releases Chase's hands to hug him. "And, I order you to hug me properly before we get pulled into the group hug!"

"Oh, hey, everyone started hugging . . . " Dominic leans a bit precariously off of Raven to wave a little paw in the air. "Hey, guys, can we make this a group hug?! I want hugs, too, and like . . . nobody's hugged me yet!" the mouse selfishly points out, though he sounds rather amused.

The knight swallows and doesn't look super accepting of the compromise, but nods and gives Lizzie a hard hug, despite his misgivings about hugging royalty so easily.

Everyone eventually agrees to the group hug and soon it's practically a pile on the ground, Dom having turned human again, and somehow Raven getting pulled in as well. It seems that for now things will be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endnotes:A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile


	3. An Apple A Day . . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magnus LeGume is an oc
> 
>  **Chapter warnings!!** : talking about underage sex, talking about unsafe sex, coerced sex, dub-con, manipulative relationships, manipulative behavior, refrences to eating disorders, refrences to forced feminization, references to past abusive relationships, refrences to preditory behavior, refrences to child abuse and neglect, discussions to unequal treatmemt of students based on class and genders first and second
> 
> Several of these are mentioned because Magnus is currently 19 years old and Briar is 17. There is a reference to him and Daring when he would have been 17 and Daring 14.

**8:15 AM**

Humming to himself, Briar idly picks up one of the “dark artifacts” Apple used to redesign Raven’s part of the room. With a wrinkle of his nose, he sets it back down and rolls his eyes, "Apps, after all of last year, do you really think rooming with her again is a good idea?" he asks, turning to the blonde before crouching down to look at something on a lower shelf. If he had been female, his skirt would have easily hidden anything, but due to the slightly broader male proportions, it doesn't quite cut it. Princessology guidelines were made with females in mind. "What if she like . . . refuses?"

The blonde princess waves a hand in Briar's direction as she hangs up her winter cloak in the closet. "It'll be fine! I'm taking a more gentle approach this year, and now that we're better friends, she and I can start seeing eye-to-eye on things! Besides, she ended up loving how I decorated her half of the room last year!" Apple confidently answers her bffa. She holds up a dress she doesn't remember packing and purses her lips. "Do you think this is too . . . last chapter? I don't know if I want to wear it this year . . . "

Standing back up, the princess winces - hard - before rubbing his lower back. "Hm? Oh, I think it's still fine. But I think that it might be Holly's? She might have left it with you by accident when we were all getting ready for that fairy party." he suggests before going over to Apples bed and (gently) flopping onto it. "Well, I hope you and Raven can work something out. Really threw the whole school into a blender last year, y'know?" he comments, glancing over his pink sunglasses at her.

"Oh! Well, that explains it! Silly me, I'll just have to drop this at her room later. You know, I-" Apple pauses and cocks her head to the side. "You look so tired . . . Briar, you didn't sleep at all during our break, did you?" the blonde asks playfully, thinking of her friend's tendency to party. "Having fun is one thing, but you still need SOME sleep before school! I almost wonder if I should worry about me and Raven or your sleep schedule." Apple adds with a giggle.

A small angry huff is her answer. "No, I slept! Well, a little bit. That's not my problem. I'm sore is all." Briar complains, whining slightly and burying his head into a pillow. He keeps grumbling for a few seconds before turning his face to look at his bffa. "Hey Apps? I think I might have messed up over break. I'm not sure what to do."

The blonde turns to look at the princess and raises her eyebrow curiously. "Messed up? Aw, Briar, I'm sure whatever it is will be fine! Buuuut I'd be happy to give advice if you need some~!" Apple offers with an affectionate smile as she moves over to sit on the corner of the bed.

The male princess whines again and shifts. "I . . . Um . . . " He bites his lip, putting his head in his hands. "Remember how I'm dating Magnus? You introduced us at the harvest fest in October? Well um . . . he uh . . . " He purrs to himself, "He uh, convinced me to . . . y'know . . . with him? Over the winter break?" Briar admits with a definite crack in his voice. "And I- I was not at all prepared as well as I should have been? So um . . . I think I might . . . might be, well . . . um . . . " He winces.

"Um . . . " Apple trails off, not really sure how to respond. She reaches out and takes Briar's hand in hers and gives it a squeeze as her eyes widen. "You two- kissed! And now you're worried you're a bad kisser?! Oh, Briar, I'm sure you were fine, and if he tells you otherwise then he's just awful! It's not like you've done it before!"

The groan rattles the bed, and Briar jumps up to his feet, head in his hands as he paces in front of the bed. "Apple! Princess or not, you shouldn't be this sheltered!" He whines, loudly, and shakes his head. "I-- . . . I . . . Oh forget it. You wouldn't be able to help anyway." he says as he slinks to the floor next to Apples bed, leaning against her legs. "Thanks anyway."

Cooing, the omega girl leans forward to look at Briar before delicately playing with his hair. "Briar, you can tell me anything. Even if I can't always help, talking about our problems helps us emotionally! Just . . . talk to me?" she asks softly, a purr added for good measure to help soothe the boy. "Whatever it is, it can't be the end of the world."

Trusting his best friend, for a reason he can't even fathom, Briar nods. "Just try not to be mad at me?" he asks, keeping his eyes on the floor. He's silent for a few more seconds before shrugging, "I won't know for another 2 weeks or so . . . but I think I might be pregnant. Magnus convinced me to _lay with_ him Apple. I . . . I shouldn't have, and it wasn't even that good and I . . . I wish I hadn't, but now . . . " He whines again, pulling his legs up to hide his face in his knees.

There's a gasp from the princess and a lengthy pause before her hands go back to petting Briar's hair. It's more obviously soothing, now. "Oh, Briar." Apple slides off the bed and onto the floor next to him, wrapping arms around his shoulders. "No matter what, I'm here for you. We'll figure out what to do, okay? Maybe you won't be pregnant and everything will be fine!" she encourages him to consider, hoping they can be optimistic about this.

The boy leans into the relatively soothing embrace. "Y-yeah, I guess I can start freaking out when I know for sure. I just . . . He made some good points, though? I mean, I agreed with him, and he didn't pressure me or anything, but I wish I had stuck to my beliefs like you do. I wouldn't be sick with worry if I had . . . " He sighs angrily at himself and nuzzles Apple. "But . . . I'll . . . I'll hold off on the hysterics for now. I just . . . Should I tell him? Or not yet? I just . . . This isn't part of my story. Not until I’m asleep, at least. I mean, much easier time if you don't know it's happening, right?" Briar tries to joke, a little lamely.

Apple shushes him and squeezes more firmly. "We all make mistakes sometimes, Briar - even me! And if we find out you are . . . you know . . . then it's only right to tell him. And godmother help me, I'm going to rip him a royal new one if he tries to get out of this!" she threatens, an . . . unusual combination with her high-pitched voice. Her tone softens again as she sighs and nuzzles the unlucky princess. "I think the worst part of this - if you ignore the whole baby thing, based on the fact that we decided not to panic yet - is that it wasn't even good? You can't even say he swept you off your feet and dazzled you or something!" she adds with a joking tone of her own.

The pink and brown haired princess groans, "Exactly! I mean, we did it a few times, probably more than I remember and like . . . most of it was probably around a 2 out of 10? Once there was a 9/10 moment, but . . . It wasn't worth it!" He leans his head back on the bed and glances at Apple. "I didn't know it could be so bad. I don't hear people talking about it being bad! I mean, he seemed to be having a good time, but he certainly can't share it!"

"Maybe he just doesn't know how to do it. After all, he can't have had that much practice, right?" Apple asks, not really sure how someone might be bad at sex. "What in the kingdom else could it be?" the blonde asks with an admittedly awkward, sympathetic giggle.

With a shrug, the other princess ends up laughing too. "He probably just talked a big game to get me comfortable. I bet he's only done it once or twice then." he giggles back, before sniffing and wiping at his face. "Thanks, Apple . . . You always know how to take my mind off things." Briar says with a hug to the blonde.

Apple hugs back, purring happily that she's helped to cheer her friend up at least a little bit. "Leave it to a boy to brag about something he hasn't done! I'm sure your prince will be much more-" she giggles before continuing, cheeks pink, "talented when you meet them." The blonde princess untangles them a moment later and stands up before offering Briar a hand. "Wanna go see if we can sneak some cookies from the castleteria?"

The boy stands with a nod and brushes off his skirt with a small giggle. "Yeah, I guess, Apps. I hear the castleteria is doing 'fantasy favorites' for orientation week. They should have a bunch of favorites, especially yours." he comments lightly. Being Apple White’s friend did always come with perks.

"Oooh! Yay, I love when they do the themes. It's even more interesting than vegetarian days!" Apple cheers happily with a little bounce.

"Maybe we can even find that new boy of yours? Which, I know I was busy, but you still could have said something! I read all about it on Blondie’s mirror blog already, but c'mon, who asked who? I can't imagine Daring princing up to actually ask you." he says, waving his mirror phone. Sometimes being friends with the resident stalker was also a bonus.

The princess waves her hand as though to wave Briar off, grinning as she starts leading them out of her shared dorm with Raven. "It's not that crazy! I mean, I know I said I wasn't going to date him until after school, but last year really put things in perspective!" Apple explains, pulling up a couple of selfies with Daring on her mirrorphone to show Briar.

Looking over the shorter girl's shoulder, Briar smiles, "Aww, you two really are the most hexcellent couple! Really what everyone should aspire to be y'know?" the omega boy chuckles, wincing slightly once they start down the loooong spiral staircase to the ground floor. "They always talk about not wanting us to work out too much, and yet they have us practically climbing mountains multiple times a day!" he complains, skipping a few steps.

Apple giggles and nods in agreement. "Right? And how do they expect us to do our royal duties without at least some decent exercise? Ziplining is way too hard without some kind of upper body training." she comments, flipping through another couple of pictures, including one with Dexter and Darling in the distance arguing over something.

"I think that's the one rule we all break. I mean we have to do a lot of running in heels!" Briar agrees, before tapping at her phone. "Hey, woah, what's that in the back? Does PoinDexter have a girlfriend? They don't look so happy." he says with a whistle. "Wait, are these from break? Oh. My. Fairy dust. Apple! You were at his castle already?"

"I was visiting with a chaperone. They had a hexcellent barbecue! We played croquet and Dexter got into an argument . . . with his sister, Darling Charming, over who was closer to the wicket." Apple corrects with a stifled laugh. "Did you not know they had an older sister? She's starting here this year as a transfer from the PPP!"

That gives the narcoleptic princess a pause. "I almost got sent there. Heh, interesting. But no! I had no idea, I don't think anyone does. They've never even mentioned a sister! Gosh, with them I can't even imagine what a perfect princess she must be." he admits with a laugh. “Then again, I wouldn't have even guessed Daring and Dexter were related if they weren't so big on pointing out that they're twins."

Apple looks through her photo albums until she finds one that has an older picture saved for her digital scrapbooks. Darling has a wooden sword in it and it looks like Apple is crying as she runs toward whoever originally took the picture, and they both look younger. "Darling and I weren't ever close, but I've known about her and we've met. As you can tell . . . " She laughs and zooms in on herself in the photo. "I don't even remember why she smacked me with the sword, but it hurt! She definitely didn't act perfect when she was younger, but she's pretty obviously a Charming when you meet her."

"Well, according to my mom, that makes sense. PPP is elite, but it's like that because bad princesses go there to get reformed." He pats Apple's hair affectionately. "Well, I certainly bet she'll be better behaved now But why has it never come up that you've known the Charmings since . . . before spellementary?" Briar asks, waving a hand in the air, "That's kinda something to be shared, Apple! I mean, I only met you in spellementary, and yet this is brand new information!"

The blonde shrugs after a moment of thought. "We've always been close - our families, I mean. After all, Briar, we know I'm going to marry a Charming! Mom wanted me to know my husband well before my story." Apple admits. She hadn't ever really given it much thought before. "It never seemed like something I needed to explain, I guess! When I was little, they were just some boys I knew . . . back when Darling had short hair and I mistook her for a prince, anyway." the girl adds with another laugh at remembering having to be told - repeatedly - that Darling wasn't a boy.

Whistling, Briar shakes his head. "I guess that makes sense; you never had a reason to think of it as important. That's like me with my cousin Beatrice and the O'Hair twins! I’ve always known them forever after, I guess . . . " He shrugs, continuing, '' I used to be so thankful that Poppy was a boy, too, but he's not actually a princess. So, that was a bummer." he complains before rolling his eyes, as a group of boys seem crowded around the Castleteria's doors. "Ehem. Boys? Do you mind clearing a path?" Most of the boys scramble away for Briar and Apple. The two princesses would notice that, besides the group of boys, there is also a group of girls, all giggling. After a voice booms across the Castleteria, it's obvious as to why. 

"Honestly, Darling, you'd just be lost without me! Almost got caught in a weapons closet, almost walked into the boys’ rooms, we have separate rooms here, you know! It's very different from 3P!" The blond prince keeps going on as he picks up some breakfast with his sister, unaware of their large following and how much he was probably being ignored at his 'princesplaining'.

Darling fights not to roll her eyes. "Of course, Daring, I really don't know what I'd do without you! Thanks so much for helping." she agrees, tone sweet and agreeable as she sneaks another bit of toast on Daring's plate. "You're just the best!"

The crowd is still murmuring as Apple spots them and gasps. "Oh, wow, I can introduce you! Come on, Briar!" the blonde encourages, linking hands with the boy and tugging him along as she raises her other hand to wave. "Daring! Hi, sweetie, I didn't know you were already here!" she calls to him with a giggle. It only earns more attention from the crowd as the giggling girls shift to mumbling at how warm Apple's greeting is. The boys aren't much better, several debating now if the mystery girl is Daring's or not.

The innocent comments are lost as Briar is pulled towards the siblings. He manages to raise his own hand in a wave as they approach. "Hey, Daring! And you must be Darling! Wow, you're pretty . . . " Briar comments before blushing and giggling. "I mean, please tell me that you moving to Ever After means you're a prince now? Because _that_ I can deal with." he comments with an appraising, and pleased, look up and down the new student. 

Surprisingly, Daring gives a small angry growl. "Please don't flirt with my sister right in front of me! Two princesses can't even be together." he points out with a snort before turning his attention to Apple. Once again surprisingly looks nervous. "Apple, dear. Good to see you!" The blond prince smiles and doesn't even notice Briar giving him a 'duh' expression after his 'explanation' to not flirt. Briar just rolls his eyes and glances back at Darling, cocking an eyebrow at her.

The oldest Charming's smile widens in a forced sort of friendliness at the comments. They aren't enough to really make her angry, but it's a bit annoying at least to be dealing with Daring getting defensive in her honor. "Thanks. I'm sure the school's full of way prettier princesses, though! Don't mind Daring - obviously he's not as ready for me to be around boys as he said he was in the carriage." she teasingly says as she bumps him with her elbow, hoping to relieve some of her own tension. "It's nice to meet you . . . -?" she trails off, not knowing the omega boy from Grimm.

"Briar! His name is Briar, Briar Beauty." Apple chimes in helpfully. "He's the next Sleeping Beauty. It's good to see you again, Darling. Welcome to Ever After High!" She moves closer and quickly leans in to give her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy we ran into you two! I was just telling Briar a couple of stories about us as kids."

Briar nods and waves a hand, "Yup, Sleeping Beauty, and no worries about Daring. He's like a Pomeranian! I'm not worried about him, besides, I'm stuck with Oh Mr. Prince forever after. Creep. Probably won't be born for like . . . 80 years or so." He sighs heavily and rolls his eyes, before straightening his stance. The omega boy can’t help but wince again at the throbbing ache that surprises him. "Um, mostly she just told me about how Darling smacked her with a sword once. Apple even has the picture!" he finishes with a chuckle.

The prince blushes slightly and tangles his hand with Apple's for the moment. "Hopefully good stories, since poor Darling was a bit of a handful when she was younger! She used to chase me and Dexter with our practice swords before I could start fighting back." Daring recounts with a grin, showing that he’s teasing. He knows that Darling knows he actually enjoyed those moments. "Despite giving it up, she is still one of the best I know." Daring tries to compliment her.

Admittedly, the compliment to her combat skills does butter Darling up. She's a sucker for someone complimenting her sword skills even if that person is reluctant about it. "I can't imagine having to wait that long for someone . . . it would be very romantic if you could get to know them first but that seems awful. I don't even know what story I'm in yet, so I guess I can't complain much. Buuuut it's probably not a story that involves me hitting Apple again." Apple glances at her friend when she hears her name mentioned but she doesn't mind them talking about the photo.

"I hope not! She was really strong . . . guess she probably still is, if you're right about her skills, Daring." she chimes in while trying to picture present-day Darling wielding a sword. It's an odd mental image.

Briar chuckles. "Too bad. I think she needs it sometimes." he whispers to Darling. "My story sucks ass, but at least I know it. I couldn't imagine what it's like for you Charmings. I mean . . . Can you guys even properly predict your story?" he asks, with a small motion at Daring and Apple. 

"Of course I'm right!" Daring comment with a flashing grin and a hand running through his hair, somehow not disturbing his crown. "Are you two here for breakfast? Darling, the dear that she is, wanted me to show her to her locker and room, but needed some food first and as--- how'd I get so much toast?" his voice almost purrs with confusion as he looks down at the tray.

Darling nods and sighs. "It can be a bit topsy-turvy trying to guess. Daring seems pretty sure about it, though . . . " She looks at his plate and shrugs innocently. "I don't know, Daring, I guess you were really hungry!" the princess suggests. "Yup! Well, kind of. We heard there were themed favorites this week!" the blonde points out, gesturing at some of the fancier options. 

"I'm glad you're so interested in getting to know your way around quickly, Darling! Briar and I would be happy to help show you around too." Apple offers the princess in particular with an encouraging smile. "Right, Briar? You and I know every inch of this place from end to Bookend!"

Giggling and snatching a piece of toast off of Daring's plate the brunet, shrugs. "I guess? I'm not normally the best to ask, I’d just teach you shortcuts and party spots. I'm still not sure how to reach Alchemy by using the hallways." Briar admits with another shrug, biting into the stolen toast. 

The prince gives the tanner omega a narrowed glance before shrugging, seemingly happy with his plate now. "Well, one piece off won't bother me. We can pick out a table if you'd like to join us?" Daring asks, which is already a new thing, but he's looking directly at Apple instead of the group and is tugging on their joined hands.

The blonde blushes at the invitation, smiling at the contact. "Sure! We'd love to! I'd-I would love to, Daring." she agrees, seemingly already forgetting about food in favor of the charming blond boy. Apple even gives Briar a gleeful little look, as if to say _"This is so nice!"_

Darling raises her eyebrow at the reaction but doesn't bother pointing out that Apple's lost the thread of conversation. "I don't mind learning the shortcuts, Briar. Though, I haven't been to many parties - there weren't a lot of fun things to do in our free time at 3P." she lies through her smiling teeth. She picks up her own tray and nods towards a table that has three goats huddled at it playing cards. "Maybe that one? There's plenty of open seats." Darling suggests to her brother.

Briar gives Darling a very calculating look, about to comment when his mouth clicks closed instead. He glances at Daring then back at Darling before having an 'aha' moment, the expression obvious on his face. He nods, agreeing. "Right, must've been boring. Sure seemed that way when I toured it for a few days - almost went there myself." the male princess comments before starting the group off towards the table Darling had pointed out. He doesn't even ask the billy goats to leave; they just move on their own, already fawning over all 4 of them. "Darling, come sit next to me. Leave the lovebirds to their story." he says with a roll of his eyes. 

The prince smiles, to Darling, a more genuine smile than most of his, as Daring nods, and keeps his hand with Apple’s as he leads them to the table and sets his food tray in between both of them to 'share'. "Wonderful! You know, Darling, this is a great time to rekindle your friendship with Apple! And meet all the princesses, there’s . . . what, 3 boys in that group? Quite diverse, I know how you like that Darling." he says, though he doesn't technically stop looking at Apple.

The oldest Charming sibling is not happy to see Daring offer his plate to someone else, but she can't exactly force the issue in front of other people without someone asking questions. Instead she sits by Briar as requested and plans to feign being finished at the earliest possible moment. "Yeah, haha, that's . . . that's so great, Daring. It'll be great to make all kinds of new friends!" Darling agrees, noncommittal and purposefully vague. She doesn't really mean to, but the look she sends Briar's way is a bit . . . desperate.

"So, you seem to know a lot about the school, even if it-" An adult clearing his throat interrupts Darling's sentence. The teens all look up to see Milton Grimm, looking surprisingly cheerful. Downright smug, even. "Good morning, students! Miss White, I have something of utmost importance to discuss with you." Apple looks horribly sad for a moment before trying to argue. 

"Can it wait unti-" 

"Immediately, Miss White. This isn't a matter that can be delayed!" Milton insists firmly, still looking pleased as anything.

The blond prince pats the still-held hand and tries to give his girlfriend a smile. "We'll meet up for lunch, or later on. Promise. Go on, I'm sure it's important." Daring encourages her, flashing his teeth in a smile before slowly letting go of her hand. 

The brunet princess waves his phone too, "I'll keep you updated?" he says unsurely before glancing at their headmaster, and just managing not to sneer. "Milton. Looking perky this morning." Briar comments, not even trying to hide his displeasure and sarcasm in his voice.

"Mister Beauty. Looking just as . . . princely . . . as I recall.” Milton replies icily, an unkind smile on his face. Still a fucking smile, though. Apple frowns at the exchange and briefly squeezes Daring's hand as he lets go and she finally steps fully away from the table.

“Okay . . . I'll see you later." she agrees, turning and walking out with Grimm right behind, not letting the Headmaster and her bffa get into worse of a squabble. 

Darling is left looking after the pair and then darting a glance back at her brother and Briar. "Well, that was unnecessary! Does he often drag students off and insult princesses? Should I be concerned?"

"He’s a fat fucking asshole. He hates that I'm a dude, even though I’m at least an omega like Poppy O'Hair! Don't even get me started on how he treats Ash and Duke, since they are also male princesses, but are alphas. He hates anything that's not tied in a neat little bow. You should definitely be concerned. He kept trying to trick students into signing the book of legends last year and it wasn't even the real thing." He hisses, voice dripping with venom. "Locked his own brother under the school with a babble spell and some say it was because Giles was a male omega in a reasonable amount of power." Briar sneers. 

That is, he sneers it only to be waived off by Daring. "He’s not that bad. He gets me out of detentions! And to be fair, Ash wouldn't get it so hard if he wasn't also dating another male alpha. Grimm just wants people to follow their destinies, and be happy." he tries to say, but as soon as he looks back at Darling, his face drops a bit and he bites his lip, "Well, he can be reasoned with, at least. I mean he hasn't hexpelled Raven Queen or anything yet!"

The female alpha stares between them until she finally finds her words, a scowl taking over her expression. "Daring, that's terrible! He's treating students unequally and lying to people! Even if you don't approve of people making different choices, you should at least be concerned for people. I mean, Briar is a damsel and you don't even see a problem with how upset he is!" she fumes, not really meaning to blame him for the issue but still venting. "Briar, do you need a rescue? I'm not above dishing out chivalry, as a Charming, when it's called for!"

The blond boy flinches, "Everything was fine and happy until Raven decided to not sign the book and jeopardize all of us! I mean, now people are thinking they don't have to follow their stories, I just . . . I mean . . . " He starts fumbling with his words, obvious enough there was another problem there but he wasn't saying it. 

"Just don't, Daring, I deal with Apple all day, I get it. The school is pretty divided on it. I'd say I'd need rescuing but . . . I mean, we can't really change anything. Even with Raven trying, everyone that's classifying themselves as a rebel is basically a side character or a villain . . . Which, cool, I get it. They want soulmates, they want a happy ever after, so it feels wrong to campaign with them, I guess?" Briar says with an uncomfortable shrug, twisting his fingers together. 

Daring fiddles with some of the food on his tray before pushing it away from him. "I help out. When there's an actual problem. Destiny is not a problem, it's what we're supposed to do. So if Headmaster Grimm gives out detentions a bit unfairly it's only because everyone is on a different scale based on their stories. He expects more from people like us, less from ones like Sparrow Hood or Raven or . . . even Dexter! I'm not . . . I'm not terrible, I'm just trying to follow the rules the headmaster has given, and our _parents_ , Darling." the popular prince finishes off a little weakly.

Darling looks hurt at her brother's words before scowling and crossing her arms. "That's still awful. I get that the possibility of disappearing is scary but . . . if the Storybook of Legends is fake anyway, then none of the students here have signed. Not even you or Apple, Daring!" the princess points out, nudging her brother's plate towards him again. "If it's destiny, it'll happen without some old book. Either way it's not right for someone running a school to treat them unfairly . . . even at 3P, the staff didn't do that."

Scowling at his tray, the blond prince doesn't make a move to drag it closer. "3P was biased. they made it harder to let males in, omega or alpha. Dad tried to get me and Dex enrolled before we presented, just in case and they flat out told him male omegas were not 'what they're looking for'. I'm sure that's also why Briar had a harder time getting in. and . . . and speaking of . . . I . . . I’m sorry Briar, that I haven't been very . . . princely to you, there's really no excuse. Darling is right about that." Daring adds on, feeling a little guilty. 

The princess looks vaguely uncomfortable at the apology. "I mean, 3P did deny me kinda solely on that, but thank fuck because I heard its more of a reform school than anything. Sorry, Darling. And uh . . . it's chill, Daring. Really. Please don't mention it again." He gives a small smile, continuing, "And I like that attitude. After all, the stories had to happen before the book, right? So there's no reason they can't exist after it . . . But uh, I think we do need to settle a bit. I don't want any hurt feelings between family, alright?"

" . . . Yeah. You're right." Darling admits after a moment, glancing at her younger brother. "I'm sorry for arguing with you, Daring. It's all so frustrating . . . but that means that I should do something instead of just talk about it, if it's important." the princess adds with a sigh. _'Maybe this school will be more complicated than I imagined.'_

Creeping up quietly behind Briar, two arms suddenly wrap around his shoulders as the alpha connected to them finally reaches his target. Magnus LeGume rumbles as he squeezes his little princess in a hug. "Aw, babe, you're over here settling disputes between Charming and his new girl? That's so sweet!" the older boy compliments, clearly having missed most of the conversation and not particularly inclined to ask.

The princess squeals, even trying to snap his teeth at one of the arms in reaction, but he settles rather quickly and turns his upper body (with a wince) in the embrace. Briar gives the alpha boy a small grin. "Not really, Mag. Uh, Magnus LeGume, son of Gaston, this is Darling Charming, Daring's older sister." he helpfully introduces, and gives a small shrug to Darling. "We uh, we were talking about the book of Legends. You signed the one Milton has this year right?" 

There's a small glare at Magnus from Daring, but he smiles every time the alpha looks directly at him. He glances over at Darling, and with a subtle eye movement, he makes his displeasure in the new arrival clear. "Aha, LeGume. How was the break? I had heard from Apple that you and Briar had gotten together at Harvest Fest, so nice to actually . . . " He gestures at them both with his hand, "see it, since then."

"Yeah, I signed it. Looked really fancy, too, almost like the genuine article." Magnus comments as he nuzzles his "girlfriend" before letting go and plunking down to sit next to the omega. He doesn't look particularly upset at the company, but when Briar's not looking - and when Darling is looking at her brother - he gets an eyeful of the Charming sister. "Break was awesome! Two of the best weeks I've had in ages." he adds, a grin showing off his own pearly whites. 

He's not looking directly at Darling's chest, at least, when she notices he's been watching her. "You two are a couple? That's nice! I didn't think I'd meet so many couples already today. You two make the second pair, and I've only met five people!" she comments, not wanting to get too friendly with someone Daring's already not fond of. At least not until she knows more about him.

Briar blushes and shifts slightly in his seat with a nod. "Yeah, just since, like, early November. Not long. We, uh, spent some time together over break. Apple introduced us, since I went on a little rant last year about not wanting to date princes . . . so I found myself a hero, instead." Briar says with a grin. It's weak, but very genuine. 

On the other side of the table, Daring almost breaks his plastic fork in half and practically drags his tray of food back to himself despite abandoning it earlier - if for nothing else than just to get out of Magnus' range. "Great! You two really are great together, huh? I mean, it's already almost triple your normal record, isn't it, LeGume?" Daring asks, voice positively dripping with sugary sweetness.

Magnus shoots the blond a look that's somewhere between a warning and smugness. "We're doing fantastic! I know I don't have a great history of long relationships, but being with Briar has already been . . . well, about three times my record, yeah. Good counting, Daring!" he praises with a kiss to Briar's cheek for emphasis. 

"That's . . . that's really great. I've never thought about dating princes versus heroes before, so I guess that's something to consider now that I'm not just surrounded by princesses anymore!" Darling laughs nervously. The tension is super noticeable, but she's not sure how to defuse it. "Daring, you, um, you two have been friends for a while?"

With a grin Daring shrugs. "Oh, what is it now, something like two years? We met in my first, and LeGume really helped me get my classes together, helped me study and all, but unfortunately, our differences in classes have put a damper on that relationship." Daring almost purrs, raising an eyebrow, but not taking his gaze off glaring at Magnus. 

Somehow unaffected by the tension, Briar doesn't even seem to realize the mood. "Oh yeah! You don't hang out with us as much anymore Daring. It’s a shame, Sparrow is much easier to deal with when you're around." the princess states, looking around in his bag, and popping a piece of gum into his mouth.

Darling catches on, at least somewhat, to what Daring is hinting at, and she bristles. "Oh. I see. Then I guess I owe you one! I'll be sure to repay you somehow for everything you did for my little brother." she promises sweetly, even though her eyes are steely and her fist is clenched under the table. Her tone - _'Thank you, etiquette training!'_ \- remains as genuinely kind as it can be. 

"Yeah? It wasn't a big deal. Maybe I could even help you out, Darling. After all, Daring was a good friend when he started here." Magnus offers with another grin. It would be charming, if his target wasn't horrendously interested in a very different type. "That'd be fun, right babe? Maybe we could study, just the three of us? We don't wanna bore Daring with all the damsel stuff, but you know I don't mind." he adds, directing his question to Briar.

"Wha?" Blinking almost innocently, Briar tilts his head before turning to Darling. "Oh, yeah, that sounds fun! Darling, you totally should, I have the most hexcellent study parties! And don't be a bore, you should come too, Daring! You two can talk 'macho' things if there is any 'damsel' talking, y'know." the princess points out with a snicker, looking genuinely excited at the idea. 

Taking a long deep breath, Daring shakes his head. "Maybe if Apple goes, Briar, sure." he answers a bit tightly. "But Darling probably has a pretty packed schedule. Right, Sis? We don't want to start a new year off on the wrong foot, grade wise." He waves off the offer, baring his teeth a bit at the alpha over Briar's head.

It takes a second, but Darling nods in agreement with her brother. "I do have a heavy course load. Maybe it'd be best to only study with people in my own classes to start out with, so I can get used to it all! We had plenty of lessons on balancing while walking, or baking without recipes at 3P, but some of these are totally new to me!" the princess lies. 

Magnus looks visibly disappointed, but more like it's a mild annoyance than anything. "That's a shame. Maybe after a couple months, then. Give ya a chance to . . . warm up to the idea." The alpha glances at Daring and winks when he knows that Briar can't see him. "Y'know, Daring, you and I should hang out more. I miss talkin' with ya."

Snapping his fingers, Briar nods to himself. "You two will be spending so much time together with me and Apple, it'd probably be best to avoid each other outside of that. We don't need a brawl over who carries the shoes." the princess jokes, giggling. "You know, Darling, I failed out of Cooking but Ginger Breadhouse is probably your best bet to get caught up on everything kitchen-related if you need help. some of our course work might be a bit different for you."

Blushing, Daring finally drops eye contact and hunches his shoulders a bit. There's a beat of silence before he's smiling at Magnus again, though. "With Briar's suggestion in mind, and since our 3 year age difference really puts us with different classwork, I just don't know if I can find time." he adds sweetly, sounding half smug and half fakely apologetic.

The alpha is obviously annoyed by Daring's attitude. "Well, we'll see each other around at least. I'm thinking of trying out for Bookball this year since I'll be graduating. Get one good season in with the guys, you know what I mean?" he remarks, aiming for casual and sounding tense instead. "Plus allll that time we'll spend as a group. You know princesses, they love double dates." 

"I'll be sure to talk to Ginger, then! You know . . . Briar, do you think you could introduce me? I kinda want to get a head start on things, and you seem the kind of princess that knows everybody! Maybe after breakfast, we can find my locker and then start-?'' Darling asks, knowing Daring can tag along for that and it'll hopefully bore Magnus out of his mind so he'll leave.

The blond gives a tight lipped smile as he answers, "I suppose we'll see eachother on double dates. I'll have to take you word for it, I've never dated a princess before, and certainly not in the quantity you have." Daring adds, finally stabbing a piece of his probably-cold food and eating it as a way to get out of talking while releasing some pent up energy. 

"Hm? Oh, yeah, totally! I like to talk to both Royals and Rebels and keep updated. I'm not sure where she is now . . . but I guess I can lead you around! I'd probably know your schedule better than Daring, but like I said, it'll all be shortcuts and odd paths, yknow?"

There's a tense pause before Magnus slips his arm away from Briar and stands up from the table. He's shooting daggers at Daring but tries to pass things off with a smile. It comes off more like a grimace, considering how tense he is. "Y'know, I think I'm gonna head out. I was supposed to meet up with Stiltskin to make sure my class period isn't gonna run into Survival and Strife. You guys know how he is, any excuse to give detention." 

Darling has to fight the sigh of relief that he's going to leave them alone. "Right. Nice meeting you!" the princess lies as she watches Magnus give Briar's shoulder a light squeeze before beating a hasty retreat without properly saying goodbye. She still doesn't comment until he's well on his way. "Wow. He's sure something, Briar. You, uh, get along well?" Darling asks with some slight concern at what answer she might receive.

Briar cocks his head, a bit confused at the question. "What? Yeah pretty much, he's great! He always knows what I'm going to say, and always treats me to my favorite lattes and snacks, a-among a few other things." he comments with a massively obvious blush, chuckling before standing as well. "I'm going to grab a muffin while you two finish up eating so we can head off soon! It'll be great!" the brunet says with a laugh and a pat to Darling's shoulder, scampering off to the counter. 

Once the pink- and brown-haired princess vacates, Daring lets out a very controlled breath and rolls his shoulders, before picking at the (likely cold) food. At least he's eating. "Sorry about that. I can normally play it off much better than that. At least Dexter wasn't here, It's like he's a target for Magnus, since he's, like . . . the only omega to never give him the time of day."

"What in the kingdom is wrong with that guy? He's revolting!" Darling whispers back, knowing if she doesn't that she might accidentally be too loud instead. "And he's the one that messe- tripped you up in your first year? That snake in the grass! I don't understand how _any_ omega could give him the time of day." Darling huffs, shaking her head. She's starting to wonder how low Ever After High students' standards are.

The gesture her brother gives is an odd mixture of ‘I don't know!' and 'Right?!' before he just shrugs normally. "I mean, I fell for it too. It wasn't even until after . . . everything, that I even figured it out. and then Legacy Day happened and I genuinely forgot about him until Apple told me that she hooked Briar up with him. But, Apple never really went to parties or other things, so there's no way she would've known . . . I just don't understand how Briar doesn't get it. It's like he's under a spell . . . " Daring grumbles, angrily eating a bite of egg.

Shaking her head, Darling leans on the table and sighs. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with him. And I'm so glad that you know better . . . but holy fairy godmother, poor Briar! He said he likes to party, so if that's where he'd learn about Magnus, he should have already known." She glances to make sure the princess isn't too close to hear yet and offers her brother a half-smile. "At least there's no way he really is charmed, right? Magically, I mean."

Luckily the prince shakes his head. "No, I think we'd notice if that was the case. Briar has always been a self proclaimed terrible judge of character, and honestly, is absolutely shit at reading the mood, so he probably just literally hasn't noticed." he says with a a sigh, which quickly morphs into a smile as Briar comes back.

He 'thunks' a little ungracefully back into the seat as he snags a big bite of muffin. "Yknow, the Lunch troll just said something about kids staying here for the past week before school started. What in the world is that about? I thought we weren’t allowed on the grounds when it's a break?"

"I wouldn't think people would be . . . I wonder if it has something to do with the new students this year?" Darling hazards a guess, wondering if the Wonderlandians would have anywhere to live or if they'll just . . . live at the school all the time. "Or maybe it's a disciplinary thing! Someone got in so much trouble that they had to stay here for part of the break?" she suggests as an alternative.

Both males look surprised at the news of new students, Briar clapping his hands together excitedly. "Oh really? A whole new group? It's weird enough to have the few transfer students we do! That's amazing! Oh, do you know them? You'll have to introduce me! I love meeting new people!" he exclaims, looking excited and positively beaming. 

Blinking, and covering his confusion with a cough, Daring looks sheepish. "I imagine this was what Hopper and I weren't paying attention to earlier? There are a lot of new students? Something about one of the other realms, right? Like maybe more from Neverland, Oz, or even where Cupid is from?" he asks, or really, suggests, since he should be more knowledgeable. Somehow he always gets close.

Darling huffs at her brother's guesses, amused. "Close actually! Wonderlandians. William, your alpha friend, was the one that told us about it. Apparently they're new refugees? But . . . hm. Maybe we shouldn't spread that around too much? Who knows if they want to be confronted or not about Wonderland, or stared at for being new . . . " the princess muses, thinking back to what Humphrey had pointed out. "Though I did want to meet them, I haven't yet. Sorry, Briar."

The denial is easily waved off as Briar shrugs and finishes off his muffin - he even tosses the wrapper on Daring's tray with a wink. "I can always ask Lizzie Hearts, then! She's the daughter of the Queen of Hearts. She, Kitty Chesire, and Matt Hatter were here before the gates got sealed, so I'm sure they've already reunited!" He snickers. "Are we ready to get going then?" 

Daring gathers up both princesses' trash with a fond roll of his eyes and stands. "Just let me throw this away, then I should be good to go. If I'm still allowed to come of course! I wouldn't want to get in the way of too much princess talk." he says with a laugh, as if the possibility he wouldn't go with them could even be considered. "I'd also like to stop by my room, if you two wouldn't mind. I'd like to pick the best bed before Dexter gets there."

"The beds are the same, Daring! You just want the one closest to the largest wall for your mirror." Darling teases as she rolls her eyes playfully and pushes her hair back away from her face. "But sure, I don't mind, and I doubt Briar does. Then we can get to the bottom of this Wonderland mystery group!" She seems giddy at the very prospect of it as she hops up to her feet. They head off once Daring has cleaned up, the two princesses chatting excitedly about the upcoming introductions. Darling keeps an arm tangled through her brother's the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile
> 
> As a Quick mention of everyone so far:
> 
> Daring Charming 16, Omega  
> Dexter Charming 16, Omega  
> Darling Charming 18, Alpha  
> Hopper Croakington II 18, Alpha  
> Humphrey Dumpty 18, Omega  
> William Diamonds (oc)17, Alpha  
> Alistair Wonderland 16, Omega  
> Bunny Blanc 15, Alpha  
> Corey Jester 15, Alpha  
> Dominic Mouse (oc) 15, Alpha  
> Chase Redford 18, Omega  
> Lizzie Hearts 16, Omega  
> Kitty Cheshire 16, Omega  
> Matt Hatter 16, Alpha  
> Raven Queen 16, Alpha  
> Mars Hare (oc) 17, Alpha  
> Briar Beauty 17, Omega  
> Apple White 16, Omega  
> Magnus LeGume (oc) 19, Alpha


	4. A Sticky and Hairy Accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Chapter warnings!!** : mentions of child abuse/neglect, graphic description of a mental breakdown and panic attack, mentions of taking suggestive and sexual photos without consent, mentions of those photos being uploaded to the internet and shared without consent, mildly descriptive mentions of a blowjob, mild victim blaming, unhealthy coping mechanisms

**(10:30)**

In the spade tower, Darling keeps stopping to peer out windows and onto the grounds of the school. She seems delighted with the views - and the visible freedom students seem to have as they wander and greet each other outside. The tour with Briar had been nice, but the princess's shortcuts really were a bit wild and left even the exercise-enthusiast Darling having to catch her breath. "Daring, you never mentioned that everything was so _fairest_ from up here! I think it's even taller than that stupid tower that Mom and Dad put me in last summer." the alpha points out as she leans almost dangerously over the windowsill to feel the breeze. 

Her brother is admiring himself in her full length mirror and shrugs, commenting, "I think the diamonds have a better view, but I suppose this side of spade isn't so bad." He fiddles with a few pieces of hair that just doesn't want to stay down. 

"I think you'll like it here. Even villains get a lot of freedom to do whatever. And this entire first week is literally just orientation. Get used to where your locker and room are, where your classes are, unpack, gather all of your syllabuses, and it serves to offer us a week to get our break work checked before turning it in." The blond finally succeedes with his hair and finger guns at the mirror before making his way over to his sister. "You _are_ going to play good this year, right?"

"It's better than the view at home." she counters, easing back into the room slowly as his question sinks in. Especially following his statements that they get freedom to do what they like, it feels stifling. Darling still manages a sweet smile when she glances at her younger brother. "And of course! What else would I be doing, Daring? Causing trouble somehow?" she asks with a laugh. 

The blonde turns to face him, surveying her room again. It's smaller than her personal bedroom at their castle, but it's nice - it already feels better since she knows she'll have company. "Don't worry, I'll use orientation to get settled and make sure I know what's what." the alpha assures her brother.

He gives her a small look and rolls his eyes, "Trouble? Maybe only for you back home. While the teachers might not always care if you show up weilding a sword, or if you don't go to the princess classes . . . You know dad will. So maybe not causing trouble, but at least try to be careful?" he asks with a bit of a lazy smile and puts his hands into his pockets, "Just . . . I don't want them to treat you like wicked step parents, y'know? And it's not fair I get that but . . . At least until you graduate?"

The princess pauses, swallowing down her immediate response and instead heading over to fluff a pillow on her bed. "I'll be fine, Daring! I know how to be a good princess already. Ànd it . . . it wouldn't really do to show up to class with a sword!" Darling adds with a laugh - as though it isn't exactly what she'd do if she could. 

_'He doesn't mean more by it than how I'd mess around with him and Dexter as kids. No matter what it sounds like, I know he doesn't know more. I've been too careful for him to have found anything out.'_ she reassures herself, only turning to face Daring again when she's feeling confident in her assumptions. "Do you normally get to know your dorm neighbors around here?" she asks, changing the subject in hopes he'll get distracted.

The prince looks slightly pouty for a second before nodding. "You can? It's a pretty coed and cordial situation here. Each tower has a different room size, and for each size there's a set number of rooms on each floor with a communal shower room and a small lounge-like area. And the top floor is alway a two story to the roof, with other amenities catering to the size of the room and which students would be there. Most of the time the towers like to compete in small things, throw get-togethers, etcetera, etcetera." he says, twirling his hand. "Students are supposed to ask before moving furniture, decorating or switching rooms. But really as long as everyones in agreement, and you don't annoy anyone else, teachers are rarely asked. " Daring explains.

"That all actually sounds really nice. 3P didn't really have much socializing between the dorm floors unless you were in classes together. At least nowhere near the level this sounds like it'll be!" Darling comments, quietly looking forward to seeing how many people she can meet just in her dorm tower. "I imagine you and Dex go to a lot of those get-togethers? They sound fun.' she guesses, trying to get a feel for how her brother acts when he's at school.

He shrugs, grinning, "Well I definitely do. I mean, I’m Apple’s prince . . . ehm, um well maybe, and one of the most beautiful omegas here, of course I go to them all. I don't think Dex does, depends on who else is there I think." he says with a casual laugh, before whipping out his hand mirror from seemingly nowhere and fixes his bangs again. "We're all pretty friendly. Obviously there's some cliques; villains, beasts, princes, heroes, princesses, maiden, rebels, royals, magic, and then some. But as I'm sure you can tell, most of those overlap, so it doesn't even matter where you end up, you'll end up being at least casual with everyone at some point."

The alpha cocks her head to the side briefly before smiling and gesturing at the door. "Well, that certainly makes sense. Mom's always mentioned how popular you are . . . guess I shouldn't be surprised that everyone wants to invite you! But you know, now that you've explained it all, how about escorting me so I know I can find the showers when I need them tonight?" she suggests with a light pat on his arm as she walks closer. "We may all get acquainted eventually, but I don't want one of the first conversations with my roommate to be _'Can you walk me to the bathroom, please?'_ if I can help it." the older blonde points out sheepishly.

He pauses with a blink before laughing and holding out a hand. "Sure, Sis. Let's hope it's the same layout of the diamond rooms or else we'll both be lost hehe." He links arms with her after a bow and an exaggerated wink and leads them out of her room, starting to head down the hall. He turns to face his sister, and in doing so, does not see the other students turning the corner the opposite way. 

The two groups collide, there's a puff of smoke, and what’s left is three teenagers drenched in brightly colored hair dye and a frog on the carpet. 

Poppy O'Hair whines and swipes slick dye off his face and groans, "Oh holy shit! Daring are you alright? Hopper? And uh . . . You?" he says, surprised, looking at Darling. "I'm so sorry! We weren't looking where we were going! Oh shoot!"

Darling looks down at the purple pigment practically coating her front and, based on the wet sensation on her head, seeping into her hair. She almost laughs before realizing that Daring is coated too and she hurries to find a clean spot on her sleeve and start wiping the green off of him. "Oh no, I hope it didn't get into anyone's eyes! We should have watched where we were going. I'm sorry, I distracted us." Darling apologizes to the frog and the boy covered in red dye. 

"Nay, twas us that should have made haste to avoid the collision! Indeed we seem to have brought ruin to the both of you, besmirching your outfits with the stains of our carelessness!" Hopper waxes poetically, as he is wont to do while in his amphibious form. He hops carefully around the puddles of hair dye quickly staining the carpet and sets about picking bottles up as best he can while the others clean themselves up. "Charmings fairest, neither of you is injured, I pray?"

There's a cold sensation that washes over Daring, more than just the splash of liquid color. With a deep breath he pushes it down as he's practiced and smiles, waving a hand and trying to gently smack Darling's away from him. "We’re fine! I'm just sorry that we ruined your . . . What is this, hair dye? I can help Darling get cleaned up, and then we can hit the supply closet to clean out the carpet while you restock. It's the least we could do." he says, trying to play off his charming prince persona. As he's talking, he quickly shoulders off his jacket and uses his sweater to wipe off most of his face, before tugging the sweater off, turning it inside out, and handing it to Darling. "Here." 

Helping gather up the bottles, bowls and brushes, Poppy shakes his head. "Oh no, Daring, I couldn't. Holly and Farah are already in the room, so we can grab their help. Really, you two can start getting cleaned up. Oh gosh, here, miss." he says, pulling out a relatively clean handkerchief and starts helping clean off some of the purple on Darling.

"No, no, it's fine! It's just some dye, it'll be easier to just wash my stuff later instead of ruining yours." Darling tries to politely insist, being somewhat forced to accept both the sweater in her own hands and the handkerchief helping her. "Darling - call me Darling. We'll help clean the carpet, really!" It's all just a bundle of apologetic, polite teens trying to all help each other as Darling swipes some red dye with her hand before it drips too close to Poppy's eye. 

With a shake of his head, Hopper keeps bundling up what he can, not minding the dye if it smears on his hands. "Perhaps we might all quickly make use of the facilities to remove this murky muck from our persons? I could fetch the ladies and reach a more productive form to aid in the work at hand!" he suggests, before stepping on a slick patch of carpet and falling onto his back with the green bottle in his hand, splattering himself with the dye. It takes a solid two or three seconds before there's a sad little croak from the frog that's now laying on the floor.

"Oh Hopper . . . '' Daring clicks his tongue and takes his sweater back from Darling since she wasn't going to use it, and scoops up the dye covered frog. The prince gives him a good few scrubs before unfolding part of the sweater, and slowly making his way to his feet. "There we go. Look, I'll take him to get Holly and Farrah and We'll all take care of this." he says with a raised eyebrow at the two princesses on the floor still. 

Starting to giggle, Poppy nods. "Right, sorry, I'll stop nagging. Hehe. I’m Poppy O'Hair, younger twin of Rapunzel. Hair enthusiast. Wish we could have met under different circumstances." He snickers again before barely making it to his feet and with one free hand open, offers it to Darling. "The boys are right: fuck the carpet, let’s all go get clean. I'll let Holly know, and she can grab clothes for me, Hopper and Daring, since I'm about the same size." he says obviously trying to do a comparison with his eyes. "If your room is near here and you don't mind, she can grab some for you too and bring it to the showers."

The green eyes looking up at Daring look- well, kind of wide and pathetic, but also grateful. "I was so sure that I had a good grip on the foul substance that I failed to account for my footwork. Alas - I am no dancer and did not tread lightly." he exposits with a sigh. "I shall, on my honor, find a way to atone for this, dear friend! Your wardrobe shall be avenged!" 

"Pretty close, yes! I'm - um, Darling Charming, Daring and Dexter's older sister." she introduces herself and points out her door down the hall with a giggle of her own, Poppy's laugh seeming contagious. Maybe especially because of the absurd scenario. The princess pulls herself up with his help and tries to grab the ends of her dress where she's dripping, bunching them up to spare the carpet from more of a mess. "I'd lead the way to the showers, but we were trying to find the way there, actually." Darling adds before anyone can dare to suggest she go first on her own.

The male princess rolls his eyes and helps her roll the end of her dress so it's easier to handle. "I've been in spade until this year, so I can lead. C'mon boys, you're not getting out of this." he says, grabbing Daring's shirt and giving it a tug. "I'll call my sister, now, can we continue before this sets and our hair is permanently dyed?" he asks with a hum.

Darling startles at that and tries to picture herself with splotchy purple patches - it's not a look she's feeling ready to embrace just yet. "Right! Let's get going, before we're all very different than we started today." she agrees quickly, carrying the material now that she's had help and starting them off down the hallway in the direction Daring had been leading her before the crash. "Come on, before we're more colorful than a peck of pixies!" 

Going a little green at the mention of having green hair, Daring nods. It'll be fine. He can shower with them - just a quick rinse. It’s fine. "Y-yeah sure. If you're so positive, Poppy." He gives a small chuckle before glancing down at Hopper. "Wanna wait until we get there, or just turn back now?" he asks, mostly to distract himself.

With some thought given to his options, Hopper shrugs. "Though consideration has been brief, I must shamefully admit that my cleansing may come more conveniently without the return to my natural state. Upon restoration, I may find my own regal ruby locks an . . . intriguing shade of emerald." the frog points out with a wipe of his hand through the dye still left on his face.

Poppy leads the group down the hallway, only shuffling when he needs to let out a giggle. He gets there and finally strips off his shirt. "Ahh here we are. Um . . . here, Darling!" he says with a smile, grabbing a purple basket from under the sink where several are sitting. "You can use my stuff if you need it. I can always borrow Holly's." He grins and sets the basket on the sink counter. "Girls are to the left, us guys are to the right. C'mon boys, let's get this over with, and I'll make sure to clean everyone's hair out properly!" he says, holding up two bottles. 

The blond prince shrugs, and sets Hopper onto the sink counter as well. "I'm going to go ahead in, get the rest of this off before you finally get your hands on this hair." he snickers, shooting Poppy a finger gun that he takes 'dramatically' to the chest. Daring grins and starts unbuttoning his shirt as he turns the corner into the actual showers rather quickly.

"Thanks, Poppy! I'll try not to get dye on anything else. At least the purple might go well with my blue, if it comes to that." the princess comments with a smile as she takes the basket and heads into the girl's side to get cleaned off. It's different from what she's used to, of course - the showers at 3P were pretty private to maintain the girls' _’virtuous privacy,’_ as much bullshit as that was - but it's actually kind of cool to have a whole shower room to herself. 

Hopper actually looks between Poppy, the doorway leading to the showers, and the sink faucet. With a shrug he carefully scoots closer and starts turning the knobs to get the water flowing. "Poppy, could you be so dearly generous as to aid me here while Daring tends to his own ablutions? A rinse in the sink may free me from most of this conundrum." the frog points out with a bow to the omega boy.

"Psh, yeah of course. I don't mind if my hair turns a little wonky. I can fix it, so hop on under there." he says with a chuckle, before helping him turn on the water and partially stopping up the drain. "Let's do a little scrub-a-dubbin!" he says, pouring out some cream-colored concoction from the bottles he so proudly showed off earlier.

The frog smiles up at the omega and sticks his arms up in the air. "Douse me in the magical elixir that will save me! Then, perhaps, I can return the favor with . . . larger hands, preferably. Though if you are not so inclined I understand. Being even more green than usual is quite off-putting, even for me." Hopper croaks in amusement as the water starts filling the basin.

The omega twin chuckles and picks up the poor frog before dropping him into the basin. "Hold your breath!" he says with a laugh, before thoroughly scrubbing Hopper down, turning the water a sickly green color even as it washes down the drain. "There." he coos, setting hopper back onto the countertop. "You'll have to transform back to make sure I got it all. Want a kiss?"

Hopper nods, feeling a little dizzy and having to grab onto Poppy's hands for balance. It was an intense bath for sure and he's still shaky on his feet. "Yes, if you please! I'd most appreciate a soft embrace to restore me once again to my handsome self!" 

“Alright . . . " Poppy says with a grin, lifting Hopper and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "And presto! Hops, do you think you could help out Daring? I need to get his sister; girl has a lot of hair!"

Suddenly the amphibious alpha is back to his normal human state, though he’s still soaking wet and sitting on the edge of the sink. He pushes his hair up out of his face and grins at the princess gratefully. "I can help him out, sure! After all, he's going to need the stain remover even more than I did!" It's a quick hop down off the sink and then Hopper's grabbing the same bottle that Poppy used to clean him off. 

“Good luck. Let’s hope it doesn’t set.” Poppy says with a wry smile before walking over to the girls’ side. "Hey Darling! If you’ve got a towel, or don't care, I can come and get your hair now!"

"Oh! Uh- okay, one second!" Darling yells back, surprised by the sudden call into the shower room. She scrambles for a towel and manages to tie one around her chest that covers her up well enough. It really doesn't take all that long, even though it feels like ages, before she yells back. "Okay! I'm covered."

Poppy looks over at Hopper long enough to give him a last tip, gesturing at his jacket. "That's only gonna get worse if you leave it on before you get in the shower, you know. Especially if you're helping Charming get Charming again." he points out before he heads into the showers with Darling, dressed only in his boxers.

The omega princess carries in a small stool as well. “Okay, here, come sit and I'll detach the showerhead to make it easier, yeah?" he says with a smile and shakes the bottle. "Are you ok? You look a little surprised . . . Oh wait! You went to an all girl school right? Oh, shoot, sorry- I mean- I guess I could get your brother if you don't feel comfortable!"

Darling actually barks out a laugh at that before she stifles the noise with her hand. She shakes her head, wet hair hanging heavily. "No, Grimm no! That'd be so much worse! At least if it's someone I don't know well, I might not have to worry about looking you in the eyes . . . N-no offense. I'm sure we will get along fine! I just really don't need to go through life knowing they've seen me naked."

"Right! And, no offense, but you don't have anything worth looking at for me. Eheh, girls just really aren't my cup of tea." he snickers before stepping up into her bubble. "Okay, lean back a bit for me, and I'll get this out in no time! It worked well on Hopper, at least." he says, starting to work in the mixture on the ends of her hair.

Darling actually relaxes a little at the reassurance and sits still while Poppy starts working on her hair. "Even if it doesn't come out well, you know a lot about hair, right? So, you could fix it for me? Maybe this is a sign that I'm due for a new style!" the princess jokes as she tightens her grip on her towel. "Is, um, is it . . . common, here? To like people the same first gender as yourself, like you do?"

The boy hums, and shrugs. "Common is . . . subjective. It happens a lot around here. Think of it as a slide scale. Both genders the same? It's like the worst you could be, as far as some people think. But it doesn't cause too much of a problem, I think, if everything else is right. Take Ash Ella, son of Cinderella. A big princess, but in a club room? Only because he's dating Hunter Huntsman, another male alpha. But then there's Briar. A male omega princess, and he'd be pretty well off if he acted the way they wanted, even with dating Magnus. Even your brother and Apple aren't the best couple imaginable, since he's an omega too, but it's pretty easily overlooked. Female omega, male alpha, that's going to be the only really _good couple_. We got enough people here that we have a handful of all types."

"O-oh. I guess I hadn't thought about that as a factor . . . then I guess people would argue that it's a problem for you, if you like boys? Wait- that sounds really harsh, I'm sorry." Darling quickly corrects, jolting a bit on the stool in an immediate impulse to look at the person she's talking to. "It just all seems so complicated." she adds.

"It's fine, it's fine, I know what you mean. And yeah, it's a little hard, but since I'm technically a princess it's a little easier. I mean, most guys just figure, _'well someone is gonna need to eventually'_ which honestly really fucking sucks, but at the moment we . . . Well I just gotta live with it you know?" he says before rinsing out her hair and grinning. "All done! Thank goodness. I'll let you finish up and go check on Daring, unless you have any other questions?" he asks, genuinely ready to wait if she did.

With a quick check of her hair - pleasantly purple-free - the princess gets up from her stool seat. "You've been so helpful, Poppy, I owe you. Though after all the trouble of washing it, I'm debating cutting my hair short now!" Darling tells him with a laugh. "I think I'm good, though. Daring could definitely use a hand - green's not his color." she adds, guiltily hoping the dye didn't set while she was taking Poppy's time.

The boy grins and waves at her. "If you ever want that cut, I work at a salon in Bookend! I'll be sure to give you a discount." he promises with a laugh. "I'll see you around, Darling!" Poppy turns around and heads out rather quickly after the quick goodbye - more to give Darling her privacy than to hurry to the boys up. 

**\---Meanwhile---**

There's a moment before Hopper processes what Poppy suggested and he actually scrambles to take his jacket and - _'might as well'_ \- shirt off. They’re his best set, after all. He's hurrying into the shower room, too, shortly after. "Daring, Poppy gave me what I need to help get the dye out of your hair!" he adds as he walks in on the prince.

"Back here!" Comes Daring's reply, though he bites his lip and sucks up the annoyance he feels. He steps out of the stall in just his boxers, hair the only part dripping really.

"Oh . . . taking off my pants might've been a good idea, too." Hopper mutters to himself when he realizes that his shorts are going to get messy again, glancing at the mix of water and dye dripping off of his friend. Still, he figures it's not a huge deal right now. "We should get you something to sit on so I can reach your hair easier, buuuuut I don't have anything. Guess I'll just have to reach for it." the alpha admits as he pours some of the creamy solution on one hand and walks into Daring's personal bubble.

The blond tilts his head and laughs, "I could kneel if that makes it easier. Heh, sorry about your clothes. At least they're just wet, and not permanently dyed green." he manages to say with a smile. 

"Actually, kneeling might really help. And my clothes are probably my fault for letting Poppy turn the sink into a princess-powered washing machine to scrub me in." Hopper admits with a sheepish laugh. "Alright, let's get you all scrubbed up!" the alpha determinedly announces as he works the mixture into a lather in his hands. 

Daring chuckles and gestures for the redhead to step closer and into the stall. "In here. This way, we can use the shower head, too." he says before finally kneeling in front of the alpha. Glancing up at Hopper though, the omega blushes at the pretty suggestive stance between them.

Hopper follows his friend in without much trouble, but once they're in the tighter space - even if it's only the illusion of an enclosed area - the redhead finds himself taking far more notice than usual of the way Daring looks in his current position. It's enough that Hopper nearly feels that telltale tingle of magic. _'That would be silly, though! Daring's off-limits, there's no reason to be nervous!'_ The alpha chuckles abruptly and anxiously before hurrying to the task, hands sinking into Daring's hair and starting to scrub at the dye. 

There's a small wince and Daring closes his eyes to avoid suds since he isn't leaning back. " . . . You know, our floor has a public shower, but it's actually a bit smaller and with actual stalls. Probably because we have one shower in the bathrooms connected to the rooms. It’s more convenient, but this is--'' he sputters for a second before wiping away some of the suds near his mouth. "Aw gross, maybe I shouldn't be talking much with this going on." 

Hopper really shouldn't be as tense as he is, but he's trying to hurry for a reason. "Uh, just close your eyes for a second, Daring? I think I can finish up soon but I don't know how much will end up on your face." he explains before realizing how that sounds. He squeaks out a quick, "The suds! Of course!" 

Poppy comes through to the other side with a whistle, "Alright, lets see how you've done . . . _Hopper!_ What are you trying to do, drown him? Honestly." 

Poppy hurries over to the stall and hip checks Hopper out of the way, gently gathering the suds off Daring's face and smoothing his hair back with a click of his tongue. "Unhook the shower head, yeah? That'll be easier, and I'll take over from here Hops, looks like we should have gotten to him in time, good job!" 

The future Frog Prince yelps at the sudden movement and lands sprawled up against the wall. Thankfully it's near the shower head. "Right! Yeah, sorry. Guess I'm not ready to go into personal styling, eheheh!" Hopper laughs, unhooking the shower head and pulling it over to Poppy.

"Despite almost drowning me?" Daring jokes, opening one eye to glance at Poppy and Hopper. "It wasn't too bad to be fair. I hope Darling is alright?" he asks, and closes his eyes again at the nod he receives.

The princess takes the shower head and grins, helping Daring rinse out his hair. "Yeah she's fine. No worries. Thanks, Hopper." the ginger says, smiling at the other redhead, before gently shooing him away and pulling the curtain. "Just give me a few minutes, Daring, I'll have you as golden as the sun." he snickers.

Rolling his eyes Daring, chuckles, and keeps his head tilted back but does call out, "Thank you Hops! I'll pay you back!" he calls out to the Frog Prince.

"Oh! Sure, no problem. Just hope I helped enough to get some of it out." he answers back with a little laugh as he surveys the room. "Hey, Poppy, is there anything I can do to help you? Uh, go run and grab Holly or something? I dunno if you got a chance to text her." Hopper offers.

The omega waves him off. "I'm almost done here, so if you could just stick around and help me out? This'll be a harder scrub than most. I already texted her before I came over here, and she and Farah are getting clothes together for us. So I think we're actually ok!" He chuckles before thoroughly rinsing out Daring's hair. "There, good as new. C'mere Hopper, lend me your strong alpha hands." he says with a grin as he exits Daring's stall.

Hopper nods before Poppy comes out - and before he can realize the omega can't see him. It's why it's a bit of a surprise for both of them when he's right outside the stall when Poppy comes out. "Oh! Heh. Yeah, yep, right here to help! Hi. Sorry in advance if I haven't got the same gentle touch you've got. Let's get you dye-free!" the prince declares peppily, gesturing at the next stall over. 

The lighter ginger giggles and follows Hopper to the other stall, letting the Frog Prince help him in harshly scrubbing the bright apple red from his hair.

Daring, on the other hand, finishes quickly now that his hair isn't a problem. The blond quickly steps out of the shower room itself and back to the row of sinks. He shifts his weight awkwardly, wondering if it'd be worth it to just hide back in Darling's room, or to wait for the extra clothes to be delivered, since he just really wants to leave now. 

There's a brief awkward moment when Darling peeks out of the girls' showers in only her towel and underwear, but at least everything important is covered up when she squeaks at seeing her brother there as well. "Oh! Daring, I guess they got you cleaned up in time. That's good. Any word on our backup clothes yet?" she asks, debating if it would be worth it to go back to hiding or if she should wait out here with her brother so she can get changed as soon as someone arrives.

The other blond jumps slightly and nods. "On its way. Sorry about this, Sis, really. Quite the uh . . . expansive first day, huh?" he asks with a small shrug, not looking quite as put together as normal. His hair is 'messy' and wet, and he’s sat there with just his towel around his shoulders and his boxers having a few wet patches - nothing too bad. "I can give you my button up until they get here, if you feel a little . . . ehm, exposed?" he says with an unsure shrug.

"I think I can hang in there with my towel - it makes for surprisingly decent cover, honestly. Thanks, though." Darling tells him, glance briefly roaming over her brother's features as she looks for . . . something. She's not even sure what it is, other than a vague impulse to check him over. "It could have been a lot worse for my first day. I'm glad I got to meet people, and I'll definitely remember where the showers are from now on!" the princess tells her younger brother with a small smile.

Her brother gives a small half smile back, looking at least vaguely amused at the situation. He doesn’t get to say anything else before the door opens again and a round faced girl with blue and purple hair comes in, with a basket, and obvious fairy wings on her back. "Hi! Sorry I'm late, I felt bad going into your room without meeting you first. I'm Farrah Goodfairy, nice to meet you!" she says with a giggle before digging into the bag. "Here, I just took the top pieces of clothing from your bag so I didn't snoop!" she says handing an easy t-shirt and a skirt to Darling. 

"And Daring, we're not sure if you'd fit in Poppy's clothes since you're so . . . " She giggles, blushing as she gestures at his body. "much more fit, y'know. But try these out!" she suggests, handing over a pair of sweats and a shirt. She then puts the basket on the counter, and wanders to the boy's shower room. "I brought the clothes, Poppy, Hopper, they're out here on the counter!"

"Oh! Thank you, this is fine! I'm Darling Charming, Daring's sister!" Darling introduces herself as the fairy heads towards the boys' showers, shuffling the clothing into the girls room and quickly putting on what she can. She comes back out to the sink area with her hair in a towel, but at least she's dressed. They hear Hopper call out his thanks. From where the boys are, Poppy also calls out his thanks, singing a badly put together tune in Farrah's honor.

Farrah smiles as she turns back to the siblings. "I'll go clean out the hallway. Just return the clothes when you have the chance, okay Daring?" At their nods, the fairy begins to leave. Daring shrugs, and pulls the shirt over his head - it's tight around the shoulders, but fits pretty well.

"You shouldn't have to clean by yourself! I can come help." Darling offers with a sympathetic glance at the fairy.

The other girl blinks, and glances back at the female Charming, surprised. "Oh, right, you wouldn’t know! No, no, don't worry about it. I can grant wishes until the clock strikes 12, then they disappear. So, we can just cover it up for now and one of the cleaning fairies will get it during lunch. And that way, no one else will hopefully get dirty!" Farrah explains with a small giggle. 

"Don't worry about it, Darling, honestly. You should probably head back to your room and get dressed properly. I can take your dress to get cleaned while I head back to my room, to get changed." Daring says with a two finger salute and a tight smile.

Darling looks surprised before she flushes a bit pink. "Right, Goodfairy. I forgot for a second that you can probably do magic." the princess admits with a small smile. Being reminded of her more casual clothes has the alpha girl glancing down at her outfit and missing her armored accessories. Especially with a very pretty fairy in the room. "Right! Yeah, I guess I should . . . I'll go grab my dress for you, then." Darling agrees with a slight tinge lingering on her cheeks as she retrieves her stained dress.

**((11:15am))**

Lounging on his bed as Farrah brushes through Holly's hair, Poppy reshuffles the card deck that he, Darling, and Hopper were playing quick games with. 

The boy with the two-toned hair clicks his tongue. "If only Daring had decided to stay, we'd have enough for some team matches!" Poppy sighs, purposefully directing the comment to his sister and the Goodfairy. When he gets ignored he just sticks his tongue out at them. "Hops, do you anyone else we could call? Maybe Cedar? She's your roomie, right, Darling? That would be fun!" 

Hopper shakes his head. "Nah, Cedar hasn't answered my texts since the day before yesterday when I forwarded her something I didn't mean to. I think she probably doesn't want to hurt my feelings, but she can't lie, so . . . " the alpha admits with an awkward shrug-and-a-grin combo as he picks up his hand. "Normally I'd text Daring or Sparrow, but since Dare's already gone and I doubt you want Sparrow busting in here, I'm gonna resist the urge." he jokes, used to Daring disappearing enough that he doesn't pay it more notice.

Rolling her eyes gently at the male princess' actions, Farrah goes back to the delicate task of fishtail braiding all of Holly's hair in one big section. "I thought he was coming back? It's only been about 20-25 minutes. Maybe he stopped to talk to someone! You're so quick to think he ditches people."

The male princess scoffs, continuing, "No offense to your brother, Darling, but he is a notorious flake for most things. Unless it's a party he’s going to with Apple, he always ends up disappearing. It's a conspiracy, I tell you!"

Holly admittedly luxuriates in having her hair done for her. She's practically purring at the fairy braiding it. "Poppy is just being a party-pooper. I'm sure he'll be here soon! I just hope he hasn't gotten too distracted by a mirror . . . he kind of does that sometimes." she points out with a look over at Darling. 

The princess chews on her lower lip as she wonders where her brother's gone to. Leaving him alone wasn't exactly on her agenda, and he'd seemed . . . off, after the dye spill. "I think maybe I should go look for him. He's supposed to still show me around, after all!" she explains, reasoning that it's as good an excuse as any to leave.

Poppy waves a hand dismissively. "Any of us can do that! I mean, has he shown you where diamond is yet? He probably just got caught up with some of his pals and forgot to come back. I didn't mean to spook you, honestly, I'm sure he's fine." 

Twisting off another strand of hair, Farrah nods. "Even so, if you're worried, just wish up a guide there! I'd be happy to help you out. I'm sure the first day in a big new school must be intimidating, and I know I'd want someone I was close with to show me around, too." she admits with a short sigh.

\---

Up in his room, Daring has practically ripped his trunk apart, leaving quite the mess over his bed. Following the trail leads to an even worse mess in the bathroom. The sink is only moments from overflowing, with products toppled over and piling on top of each other; some leak out over the counter top due to their weight. Following the new trail of clothes, obviously not Daring’s, to the shower which is running hot and listening, one could hear choking sobs and a small rhythmic _'Thump. Thump. Thump.'_

\---

Hopper grabs the cards from Poppy and starts dealing out hands for a new game. "Most popular guy in school, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he's gotten cornered by someone to talk." the alpha adds reassuringly. 

It doesn't seem to work, though, and Darling is still feeling uneasy. "I'm sure you're right! I think I'm still going after him, though." she decides aloud, sliding her hand over to Holly so maybe she'll play with Hopper and Poppy. "I really appreciate the help, so . . . Farrah, I wish I had a guide to Daring's room in the diamond tower." 

"Wow, very direct! That's good for a first wish. I was too vague and almost caused a tidal wave of shampoo, my first time." Holly comments with a laugh. "Just make sure you hurry, you have less than an hour before the guide disappears."

The fairy giggles and nods, tapping her wand in the air. A small blue light circles Darling, before it moves a bit in front of her. "There you go! It'll float just in front of you, and direct where you need to go! Just 40 minutes until it goes away, but you should be able to reach it in no time, even if you’re walking!" Farrah proudly informs her before going back to her own task. 

Poppy sits up and shrugs. "We'll save you a spot in the game if you want, or we can just meet back up at lunch! Lunch and dinner are "mandatory" meals and are scheduled, even though breakfast isn't. So,you'll need to be in the Castleteria at 1pm unless you want to wait until dinner." he tells her for an option.

\---

The steam from the shower has created an almost fog look in the bathroom, but the thumping has stopped and the crying barely audible.

\---

"Sure, I'll see you guys there. Thanks for all the help!" Darling genuinely says, smiling at the room full of people before setting off with her guide. 

She waits until she's out of the room and a good enough distance away before she takes off into a light jog after the light. "C'mon, little guide. We've got a little brother to check on." she mutters to herself. It isn't a long trip at all, especially at a faster-than-walking pace, before she at least finds herself on the right floor. Darling follows the light at a slower pace now - finally, it leads to a dorm room door and she at least has the decency to knock first. "Daring? Daring, are you in there?"

When there isn't an answer for a good few minutes, Darling opens the door. One side of the room seems untouched, a bed neatly made with Dexter's trunk on top of it, while the other bed looks as if a mini windstorm blew through. The bedding is bunched and strewn sideways, the trunk is on its side, spilling clothes out of it and over the side of the bed to the floor. A lamp on the bedside table is knocked to the ground, the table itself partially knocked into, and there's a few pieces of makeup and a bottle of hair gel that make a trail to the bathroom door. The door is propped open, steam pouring out in puffs, with the sound of the shower running and sink overflowing, soaking into the carpet right outside the door. It's quiet otherwise, aside from maybe a small hiccupping noise if Darling listens close enough past the sound of water.

"Oh, no . . . " Darling mutters as she quickly ditches her high heels at the door and hurries into the bathroom. Her first order of business is stopping the sink, tossing a towel down to absorb the water already on the floor. She pulls some of Daring's products out of the water and sets them aside before finally focusing on the shower. The princess quickly peeks through a crack in the curtain, concerned. "Daring? Daring, are you okay? How long have you been in here?" she asks, waving away the steam so she can see him better.

She can vaguely see him through the steam, as he gets up and turns off the shower. He stays behind the curtain when he walks up, though. "You're not supposed to be here, or see this . . . I'll clean up, I promise, just . . . Leave me alone, Darling . . . " he slowly says, obviously trying to make his voice seem steady. The curtain crinkles as he clenches some in his fist. "But if you’re gonna lecture me, the least you can do is hand me a towel." His voice is still defeated, with an edge of anger bleeding through.

The alpha naturally feels herself bristling at being told what to do, even if it is her younger, omega brother - or perhaps _because_ of all of those factors. Regardless, she gets him a towel and passes it through the gap between the wall and the curtain. Darling has the decency to turn so she isn't facing him. "You were gone for a while. Was I just supposed to stay with your friend, talking about sending inappropriate pictures to girls and playing cards?" she asks, knowing he probably won't be happy she isn't just leaving like he asked. "You haven't actually told me if you're okay or not, you know."

Wrapping the towel tightly around him, he opens the curtains, frowning. "Yes, let me just cater to your whims because you decided to invade my room and shower without permission." he grumbles, a small growl in his voice. "And yes, Darling! You wanted to make friends with your neighbors, that's how you do it! What, never have friends at your other school?" he snarks, stalking past her, only grabbing his hair brush off the ruined sink. Daring makes it all the way to his bed, flopping half on top of his clothes on the floor, in front of a giant mirror, before he starts brushing through his hair.

Darling follows, more slowly than needed, and makes her way back to her shoes. "Not really, no. At least not any that I'd call friends now that I don't have to go back to 3P." she answers honestly, fastening her shoes back on. The princess takes a long look at him and chews her lip, not really sure how to approach the situation. It's visibly obvious that something probably isn't right, but she's still not good at guessing what will set her brother off. "If you want me to leave, I can call Dex instead." Darling offers as she considers just calling him anyway.

"Wow. I only asked you to leave already, but nah, course. Make a seat for yourself." he spits sarcastically, wanting nothing more than for her to just leave. Daring needed his moment, his face back. The blond prince wiggles into some pants before standing again and stomping over to his sister. "Just leave. And don't bother Dex, he actually has friends to hang out with. It’s why he already left us." he hisses, before bodily pushing his sister back out through his room’s door. "Really appreciate you just fucking off. Thanks." he says with a tight smile before slamming the door close.

The princess growls as she's pushed so suddenly out of the room, trying to fight back against her insistent sibling and failing to stay in the room. "Daring- Daring, wait! I know enough to know that you're not feeling okay! Especially with how you started acting downstairs." she loudly tells the closed door as she knocks heavily on the wood to try and gain his attention. "You can't just hole up in there and not talk to me. I'm not leaving you alone up here!" she adds, glancing around to check that nobody's come to investigate her raised voice outside Daring's room before actually trying the handle and pushing the door open.

Daring doesn't pay much attention to the muffled voice from outside his door. It's not very important to him right now - his routine has been interrupted, but the mess around him is making his skin itch. So, that's how Darling finds him (barely a minute later) scrambling to fold his clothes neatly and trying to clean up the bathroom. He seems to be too wrapped up in his own world to even realise he didn't lock the door, let alone notice her arrival back in.

Darling is slow to close the door, not wanting to startle the prince when he's working himself up like this. She takes a few steps further in once it's closed behind her and clears her throat. "I can help clean, Daring." Darling softly tells her brother as she starts with neatening up the bed, pulling the sheets and blankets back into quick order before picking up his lamp as well. _'I'm not sure he'll even hear me, but maybe he'll let me stay if I'm helping him.'_

The prince makes a small humming noise, seeming to take note of her (even if he doesn't outwardly express it) as he starts sticking to the bathroom to clean up, then continuing out to his bed as Darling is straightening up there. After about 5 minutes of his frantic cleaning, he seems to have calmed down, moving slower, shaking slightly, until he ends up sniffling. As he attaches a rather lengthy checklist onto his mirror, he sinks back down to the floor. He sits there cross-legged in front of the mirror and hums to himself, voice cracking, as he goes back to brushing his hair.

Watching the entire process is nerve-wracking in its own way, as Daring slowly seems to calm without really calming down. At least, not calming down based on how he's still shaking and obviously acting strange. The alpha straightens the last of the bedside table quietly before she creeps carefully closer. Darling tries to stay out of the mirror's reflection as much as she can while still getting in position to read the list.

Even when she stumbled into the mirror’s image, the only indication he noticed was a small flicker of his eyes. She can't quite tell what he's mumbling to himself, but it seems to be more of a mantra. The list she is trying to look at is written in shorthand but it seems to be Daring's daily schedule, with numbers, measurements, and times dictating exactly how to go through it. There's a check on a few of them, but if he's going straight down, then he's on 'brush 200xs both sides. White bottle, red, white, repeat brush 10:00ms, fallout 20%, straighten tips.

_‘This is not healthy._ ' she thinks to herself as she glances between the list and her brother, realizing he does this every day. It's excessive to an extreme that she finds worrying even as she slowly moves closer to him, firing a quick text to Dexter. Darling takes great pains not to make any abrupt movements, treating him rather like a startled animal at the moment. "Do you want help brushing, Daring?" the alpha asks, voice low and as kind as she can manage at the moment. 

**\--Elsewhere--**

Dexter's phone goes off in his pocket, surprising the omega and making him pull off of Humphrey with a disgruntled, confused noise. He wipes his mouth and glances up at the blond omega, feeling only marginally bad for stopping mid-blowjob. "Wait, was that mine or yours?" he asks, not used to the particular ringtone.

The blond groans, and wiggles slightly before sighing. "Ugh, yours. If we cut this short I think I'm going to explode. And since it'll be your fault, you'll have to tell Hopper why our bedroom is covered in egg." he says, chuckling a little and whipping out his phone as well, checking it over since his entertainment has momentarily disappeared.  
“You'll live. I can probably finish you up, anyway." Dexter tells his friend with a quite reasonable tone before he finally pulls his mirrorphone out. He frowns abruptly as he reads the message. 

_Scary Charming: Daring isn't okay, don't know what to do, help!_

" . . . Grimm, I gotta go." he says in surprise as he pushes up to his feet and grabs his jacket and vest. "Look, I'll catch you later and make it up, alright? I gotta handle this." Dexter explains as he starts yanking his clothes back on.

"What? Aw no c'mon I-. . . aaannndd you’re dressed. Yup. Ok." He sighs and fixes his pants with a bit of a whine, trying to situate himself comfortably. "You owe me, Charming! And I'll see you later, good luck with whatever." Humphrey says before more obviously wobbling to the bathroom down the hall.

Dexter winces as he has to adjust himself, too, but he's pretty sure it won't be a problem. "Sorry! Bye, Humphrey!" he reciprocates, determined to do something to pay the egg back for not giving him more flack over this. As it is, he hurries off towards- somewhere. Fuck. He stops in the middle of a hallway to send off a text and impatiently waits for a reply, knowing he'll take off as soon as he knows where to go.

\------

Hesitating, Daring looks at Darling's reflection, eyes finally showing recognition for her being there. He blushes slightly, and though his hand shakes, he nods, handing the brush to her. Instead of continuing to brush himself, he grabs the white and red bottles, pouring an obviously well rehearsed mixture into a smaller bottle, not spilling a drop. He starts shaking it vigorously, before finally glancing back at Darling. Daring bites his lip before finally talking to her again. "I'm fine." he says in almost a whisper.

She doesn't argue, knowing it might just spark a fight, and instead she starts brushing his hair. Darling lets one hand brace on his shoulder gently while the other rhythmically moves the brush through his hair. "You have a really specific routine, right? How many times do you want me to brush?" the princess asks, instead of trying to talk him out of it for the moment.

Still quiet for a second before he lets out a small breath, "140 on that side . . . I already did the other . . . " he instructs before squirting out a small amount of his mixture into his hands, and starting to comb it through his hair on the other side of his head. He leans a bit into her touch, seeming much calmer now, to the point that there's only a shiver once in a while. 

"Okay. I'll make sure to count them." Darling reassures her younger brother with a small smile as she does exactly that, only slowing slightly when her phone goes off. She checks it, careful not to lose count of her brush strokes. 

_Dexie: Where ARE you 2?_

She fires off a short reply - _your room_ \- before going back to her task. "No wonder your hair is perfect. If I went to this much trouble with all of my hair, I'd spend all day getting ready." Darling jokes, shaking her current ponytail for emphasis.

The younger Charming shrugs a little. "I wake up at 4 every morning. 1 hour workout, then a shower and all this, and I'm good to go by breakfast at 7. Perfection takes patience." he mumbles the last sentence, as he finishes putting the product in his hair. Since he can't do much more with Darling brushing his hair as well, he starts filing his nails carefully before applying a top coat to them.

The princess finishes a couple of minutes after starting and sets his brush to the side so Daring won't have to worry about smudging his polish. "I guess I've just gotten too used to hurrying in the mornings. I-" she starts, cut off by the door abruptly opening to reveal a thoroughly disheveled Dexter. 

"IgotTinytogivemealift! What's- uh." The omega stops and blinks wide eyes at them both, glasses and crown askew. "Uh. Heeeeey, Daring. Darling. Ahem. What's up?" he asks flimsily, not sure what the panic was all about. _'Everything looks normal to me.'_

The blond flinches when his brother crashes into the room, but instead of commenting immediately, he starts working the product through the side of his hair Darling was brushing. "You seem to be in a rush. How is Tiny? I thought he graduated." he comments in an almost bored tone, posture stiffer than before. "You missed a hilarious hair dye mix up in the spade halls.” 

Dexter's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but he's at least relieved that nothing seems too out of place. "Oh, he's alright. Apparently he decided to retake some of his classes for a better grade, so he hasn't met all of his requirements yet. I think he's afraid of getting knocked off a cloud and is stalling for an extra year." the brunet admits as he watches his twin. _'Hair dye incident certainly explains this.'_ He sits on his own bed and starts fixing his rumpled . . . everything.

There's an obvious flash of confusion on Darling's face when Dex doesn't seem worried and she looks down at the suddenly put-together Daring before her. "I'm . . . so confused right now." she admits with another peek at his routine list.

Stopping what he was doing, Daring raises an eyebrow at Darling, "I'm . . . sorry? What are you confused about?" Daring asks with a small amount of amusement in his voice - as if the last 20 minutes hadn’t happened - before picking up his brush and counting out his strokes again.

"But, you were- I mean, you just had a very emotional morning, and now you're just . . . sitting here, redoing your entire morning routine-" Darling starts off, clearly sounding unsure now and not wanting to outright say she thought he'd been acting a bit . . . deranged. 

Dexter shrugs from where he's sitting. "If he gets too messy, Daring usually redoes his routine. I would too, especially if this was connected to the hair dye?" he says, phrasing it as a question directed at Daring.

The blond omega's shoulder's hunch as he nods, grinding his teeth. "There's no point in having a routine if you don't follow it. If it gets broken I have to start over or it won't work." he states as he puts down his brush and heads to the bathroom, coming back out with Poppy's clothes and setting them on his bed, beginning to fold them.

The other omega scratches at the back of his neck and shrugs sheepishly. “Following your hair care routine drove me nuts, if I’m honest. Didn't help all that much for actually asking Raven out, anyway." he admits, watching Daring for any worse signs than usual. He doesn't see them, though, and sends Darling a questioning look.

Darling still doesn't know why he's so calm and looks between them pointedly while Daring folds the clothes. "I . . . wait. Raven? As in Raven Queen?" the princess asks, having heard the name before. "Wow, Daring is dating someone and Dex is working up the courage to date, too. I'm proud of you both for working up the nerve!" Darling compliments, actually impressed.

That gets Daring to laugh, as he grabs a bag and heads back into the bathroom, taking his list with him. It's a little hard to see exactly what he's doing, but he leaves the door open at least. "Dexter is dating Raven! Quite the scandal if you ask me, especially with the maidens that normally go after him, like Cupid." His voice sounds like he's snickering. "But, I mean, that's pretty common around here. Date anyone or everyone! And, most of us get a good time out of it. Which, Holy Fairy Dust, did you see the chat Dexter? Who do you think will finally buck up and tell Briar?"

Darling squints at her brunet brother once Daring is gone and immediately gestures at him, mouthing words. _What the fuck, Dexter?! You didn't even help!_

**Help with what? Everything seems normal!** he mouths back, looking flustered.

_NONE OF THIS is normal, Dexter!_ she returns with a glare, nearly growling when he helplessly shrugs at her.

**Normal for him!**

They're stopped by Daring's question and Dexter groans at the reminder. "Yeah, I saw it. Unfortunately. I'm debating telling Briar myself if nobody else does . . . that's way too much information to be posted." he answers, already sounding awkward as hell at the idea of confronting Briar. 

"Wait. Tell Briar what? This doesn't have anything to do with that scumbag he's dating, does it?" Darling asks, still glaring at Dexter for his lack of apparent help.

"Well honestly, I'm a bit uncomfortable even mentioning it. I was thinking of bringing it to Apple, but she's still with Grimm as far as I know. Darling, you can check it yourself, just uh . . . It's definitely not appropriate." he warns, arm waving in the doorway to vaguely point out where his phone is. 

"The password is ‘M1RROR’ in all caps, and the ‘i’ is a 1. Chat name, Bro Code. You know Dex, we should give her a phony account and invite her. I'm sure she'd get a kick of making fun of everyone." the blond says.

"I can make an account. I'll pick something manly so they don't suspect me?" Darling offers as she gets up to retrieve the phone. She's quick to unlock it and locate the chat, just as Dexter nervously cuts in, "Maybe that's a bad idea-" too late to really stop her. Darling's mouth drops open as she scrolls through the chat and sees the pictures and comments.

_**"OH MY GOURD!"** _

Dexter facepalms and groans again at her reaction. "Daring, this is a seriously bad idea! What if she freaks and crashes the whole chat?" the prince calls to his twin nervously.

“I am in charge of that chat and it's a great relic! I'm not happy either but we can't delete it." he says, as he appears in the doorway, wiping his face. "I'm already preparing a certain measure to take hold if it doesn't change, but as it is, I need to give them notice and see if they change. But . . . you see why it's a bit awkward to bring up." he admits with a blush as he walks out and sits with a flop on his bed. "Can I have the phone back?"

She tosses it onto the bed next to him like she's been burned, eyes still wide and face pale. "That's awful! That many pictures of him up, and he doesn't even know?! How many other poor people have had their pictures submitted to that chat for- for a quick jerk?" she asks, horrified at the possibility. 

Dexter winces and rubs the back of his neck. "It's not all like that! It's . . . it's wrong, yeah, but it's meant to be for bragging. I don't know anybody who uses anything posted to the chat for that sort of thing! Right, Daring?" the brunet twin asks, knowing the blond will back him up.

After hesitating briefly, the blond shrugs. "We can't police that. But I am issuing a rule that all photo submissions must have permission from me and setting up a vote to see if we can kick Magnus out, finally. I doubt it; he's popular and intimidates people. Grimm knows I have a few unflattering pictures in here . . . " he grumbles, looking a little upset as he starts rapidly tapping away on his phone. 

_TheMostCharming [crown] deletes 7,408 messages.  
TheMostCharming [crown] has started a vote, Kick Magnus? Y/N  
TheMostCharming [crown] has restricted photos and links to permission only_

Several people start typing all at once, votes piling in as well as angry and confused messages about the photos being deleted. Magnus, in particular, is hurling obscenities into the chat. The majority of votes, as of now, are against kicking him. 

Madness: You absolute bastard, no warning and you're suddenly changing the rules?  
Madness: Fucking disgraceful, pulling this crap! 

Dexter winces and puts the chat on mute for the moment, starting to think up a pseudonym that Darling can use. Unprecedented access to the MirrorNet should help, so he shoots a text off to Humphrey, for good measure. 

There's a growl from Darling before she even realizes she’s making one. Her eyes go wide when she catches it, and a hand darts up to cover her mouth. " . . . That . . . wasn't meant to be out loud." she comments with a glance at Daring.

Daring fiddles with his phone for a few more moments, obviously watching the chaos on both sides happening. "All votes have a 24 hour limit before ending. Hopefully enough people will vote. We need 100 to scrap him." he mutters with a sigh, still watching the messages scroll by. He glances at Darling when she growls and raises an eyebrow again at her with a smirk. "Now what on earth was that growl about? I know the chat is a little . . . _out there_ , but most of it is just guys being guys."

" . . . I don't like that he posted photos of you." Darling admits, hands clenching as she considers what she'll do if she ever gets Magnus away from witnesses. It's a very intense thought. "He's such a scummy guy, I can't believe people like him!" Darling adds with a scowl. 

Dexter sends off his reply and grimaces as he checks the votes. "Uh, Humphrey is making a dummy profile for Darling. If we . . . if we still wanna let her join the chat." the brunet tells them both with a wiggle of his mirrorphone for emphasis.

"I say we should. Should be fun watching her tear into all the ass-prats." Daring decides with a small smile, sitting up and flipping his phone in his hand. "Tell Eggy that I'll owe him one if he can do it today, ok? I think the backup would be appreciated. Ugh, already kinda regret this, eheh . . . I should've at least waited until actual school. Doing it now . . . Oof, that's a lot of unallotted time to stay low for. Hehe." he says, not really thinking about how his sister might take it.

The alpha girl briefly bares her teeth before reigning it in again. "It won't matter that you do it now. If people start getting mad about it, they can't exactly do anything, can they? I mean . . . they can't complain to anyone without all of the girls and omegas finding out that you saved their dignity." she points out, trying to be reasonable and not just say she'll fight anyone that goes after Daring. 

"I'll tell him, Dare. He'll have it today for sure. Probably lunch . . . don't worry, I can pay him back. Already told him I would." Dexter admits, staring down at his phone as his cheeks pink up involuntarily and he taps out a message. 

_PointDexter has changed to Temp.  
Temp: Hey, Humph, can you set me up a dummy account? Need a decoy to go into Bro Chat. [praying hands]_

_Omelette: First bailing, now this? Am i being replaced? Lol gimme a few, ill have it [tongue out face]_

_Temp: Replace you? As if I have that kind of luck. Besides, Raven would kill me. [knife] [heart]_

_Omelette: aw. So sweet. ill have the username and pass by lunch? Then you can pay me back [eggplant] [water drop] [tongue]_

_Temp: Definitely. It'll have been worth it, no worries [egg] [eggplant] [kiss] [ok hand symbol]_

_Omelette: how bad did you cringe sending those? Did you pull something? Because ill be making you pull something later. [finger gun] [ok hand symbol] [winking face]_

The blond male shoots his brother thumbs up. "You know Darling? You’re right, it's a silly thing to worry about." He pats her on the shoulder before dropping his phone between them and standing up again.  
"Nice break, but I have to finish, so, if you'll both excuse me . . . " he says a little awkwardly with a shrug before heading back into the bathroom.

There's an uncomfortable, strangled noise from Dexter as his face turns fully red and he shoves his phone into his pocket. He makes the mistake of catching Darling's eye, but she seems to stop herself and think before she talks. 

"Dexter, thanks for coming up. Sorry I panicked you, but I really appreciate it. I'm . . . I'm heading back downstairs. I'll see you both at lunch?" she asks, waiting as he nods his confirmation. The princess similarly calls her goodbye to Daring in the bathroom before leaving, belatedly wishing she had paid more attention to the guide as she picks a direction and just heads off, hoping for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile
> 
> Entering in:
> 
> Holly O’Hair 18, O  
> Poppy O’Hair 18, O  
> Farrah Goodfairy 18, A


	5. Birds, Bitches, and Boys Being Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buchanan Gale is an Oc and the son of Dorothy
> 
>  **Chapter warnings!!** : Bitchyness, lying about sexual history, references to child abuse, refences to bullying, slight homophobia, slight transphobic jokes, references to a character in drag, references to sex, mentions of spousal murder

**(8:40 AM - The Halls. Day 2 of Orientation)**

An annoyed honk pierces the air as a student turns a piece of paper around, rotating it as though it'll help him find his locker any easier. "These stupid locker assignments are just the absolute woooorst! They can't just make things easy and put them in order of royal standing. Instead they have to mix us up and make us actually search for them!" Duke complains as he waves the paper aggravatedly. 

Faybelle rolls her eyes from where she's sitting on top of a set of lockers and finishes polishing her nails. "Really, I don't get what you're complaining about. If it was in order of royal ranking, you'd practically be in the boiler room anyway!" she gleefully points out with a laugh when the swan princess glares at her. "I'm just saying what you're thinking, don't look all nasty about it. It'll give you wrinkles!"

"And we don't need _wrinkaaaalllsss!_ " comes the singing voice of Sparrow Hood as he slides on his knees toward his friends, the last notes of his guitar-playing drifting off. He laughs as he stands up. "What’s up my people! Break sucked ass, so happy to be back." the omega chirps before pounding a fist on the locker in front of him, causing the damn thing to magically open. "Always the same one." he snickers. 

"I thought I smelled mediocre talent! And here they all are. Convenient." comes a surprisingly soft-spoken, prissy, and sarcastic voice, all wrapped up in one person. With a gentle and graceful twirl, Juno turns the corner of the hall, and side-steps up to the group. "Sparrow's voice and Duke's honking just carries for ages; such a pity if you two ever want to hide for something." she comments, raising a well-manicured eyebrow at the other dancing princess.

Duke groans and folds his arms dramatically before leaning on the lockers next to Sparrow. "Who let you back into the school? I thought you'd have danced off a cliff in your sleep by now!" The alpha taunts the ballerina. "Don't worry, though, I'll do all of us a favor and leave your window open one night this year. You're welcome." Duke snarks, voice cracking nasally mid-sentence. 

There's a gasping laugh as Faybelle starts snickering at the angry boy. "You two fight like witches and knights! I'm almost more worried about the two of you sneaking off for something than Swan and Hood shacking up in his nasty old treehouse." the dark fairy comments with a grin. "Sparrow, your break always sucks ass. Maybe you should just start telling us when you have fun instead, so it'll be a surprise."

Juno’s laugh is prim and proper, "Oh please, Dukey. I think I’d only be concerned if we actually shared rooms. But seeing how your pet was already complaining of a club room, I doubt it." she says with a small giggle, hand over her mouth. "I really can't imagine you have any luck with room assignments, considering the trouble last year." Of course, in reference to his troubled moments of trying to get people on Grimm’s bad side, only to fail.

Flicking Faybelle off, Sparrow rolls his eyes at the princess and easily climbs the wall of lockers to sit at the top with the fairy. "Speaking of Duke's failed attempts, I room with Ash this year, yeah~" He coos the last word, hitting a string on his guitar. "My tree house isn't nasty, anyway. Even if it was, it's still the only convenient place to escape from Milton."

There's a scornful snort from Duke, flicking his hair back with a careless motion. "I'm still with Diamond, and _in a Diamond,_ Dancer. At the very least we'll be in the same area of the castle! It'll be so nice to have a little . . . get-together." the alpha drawls condescendingly. "I'll be sure to let you know when I care about your opinion on who I room with."

"I'll drink to that, Hood. Tree or not, it's worth it to get away from Grimm." Faybelle admits, leaning on her hands and watching the fireworks. It only takes a little bit of magic and Duke's schedule is flying up to her hand so she can read it. "Oh, wow . . . looks like you might have some competition, Sparrow! Duke's rooming with the biggest fairy in the school." she laughs, delighted at the awkward rooming situation.

"Competition? Against Farrah? I doubt it, I mean- Oh! Oh, you meant William!" Sparrow exclaims, finally leaning over to read the paper. "I like him. He roomed with you at the end of last year, once his roomie dropped out, right, Duke?" he asks, missing the innuendo Faybelle had set up. "He even lets me steal his shoes!"

Another scoff, and Juno starts back in. "Well, I guess you'll have to thank your friend for getting a better room. And who knows, maybe he can help you with . . . " She makes a shape similar to an hourglass with her fingers. "femininity" the dancer finishes with a laugh, grinning. "Then again, maybe Milton thought you'd be a good influence on him, y’know, to toughen up?"

A bitter laugh escapes the swan princess as he straightens up and stares down his nose at his rival. "You wouldn't know femininity if a high heel crammed itself up your skirt. At least I don't have to room with someone less than truly royal. Who do you have this year, anyway?" He realizes he should answer Sparrow, in case the boy asks again, and rolls his eyes. "And yes, Sparrow, we roomed together at the end of last year. You should know, you kept coming over unannounced!" 

Faybelle tuts at the petty squabble . . . and at the thief's inability to catch innuendo. "If anyone here needs toughening up, it's probably Sparrow. At this rate he'll never graduate." she comments with an amused smirk, baiting the others to start harping on the omega boy next.

The girl grins and smacks a locker to emphasize her point with a positively smug laugh. "True royalty? A practically disgraced prince from a half-kingdom in a realm that barely exists, which he's never even visited? I have royalty. Beatrice Beauty, and yes, we are in a diamond." she answers her best "frenemy" before haughtily flicking her gaze to the two on the lockers. "At our rate, I'm the only one here actually on track to graduate on time." 

The ginger omega looks a little put out. "Heeey I signed the book! I mean, it was apparently fake, but I would have graduated! And well . . . Duke you said I could come over whenever! Not that I had to announce it!" he argues before turning his attention to Faybelle. "I’m plenty tough! I come in top 5 in all the athletics! And even a few hero classes!"

"That's not the point, Sparrow, hush!" Duke snaps before rounding on the dark-haired dancer. "I'm perfectly on track!" Duke squawks back, quickly losing his cool as Juno advances in her confidence. "At- at least I'm on track for other things that you haven't even bothered with yet! All of that bluster and you probably haven't even kissed someone before. Ha! What a late bloomer." the princess mocks, scrambling to come up with a lie when Juno almost inevitably challenges his claim. 

Faybelle gasps at the comment and immediately looks at Sparrow. "Wait, I know we joke, but did you two actually-? Or is he talking about . . . someone else?!" the fairy asks in shock. She leans even further over the edge of the lockers to look down at the girls, wings fluttering to keep her balanced. "Oh this is hexcellent gossip!"

Gasping, Juno shakes her head. "Honestly, Duke! What kind of princess tries for something like that? Just like a male to jump the gun and forget that we're supposed to get soulmates following our stories! Might as well pull a Raven and refuse to sign, at this point." she counters back, insulted at the thought that she'd even want to do anything like that until her story. 

The ginger omega actually looks a little hurt, and put out. "Uh n-no. We've never been anything but friends! Woo! Go Duke, I knew you'd follow my advice eventually!" He quickly covers up his less-than-thrilled feelings with a fake smile. "You can't gossip about what happens in the circle! We talked about this!" Sparrow gently scolds Faybelle, poking her in the side.

"Maybe I won't, then!" Duke snaps back, slamming Sparrow's locker shut for something to take his anger out on. "Maybe I'll just refuse to sign it! That stupid book can either give me a destiny I want or it can go burn in a fire! What good even is a soulmate if we both die the same day we meet? Though it's still better than marrying a peasant like you will, so there's some comfort in that." Throughout the rant, Duke's calmed down to bitterly mocking, at least.

Giggling at the poke to her side, the dark fairy bats at Sparrow's hand while the argument goes on below. " . . . ooooo-kaaaaaay. This got real dramatic, real fast. Someone needs to take a chill charm. Or, you know, get a therapist because those issues are sooooo not going away."

Before the other princess can fire back, Sparrow jumps off the lockers, in between the two. "How about we head off to the diamond rooms! Instead of squawking in the halls, we can settle this the Hood way!" He grins, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "A series of meager tasks, that all princesses should know, then we measure out the rooms, see who really has the better deal, and then! A Dance Off! With me as backing instrumentals, of course." he suggests, knowing the extremely unlikely chance they'd agree. 

"Ugh, no way am I dancing to your music. And I'm not crawling around to see if there's an extra inch to my room! All diamond rooms are the same. Honestly, Duke, control your pet. He's dumber than the bridge troll on a good day." Juno scoffs, her anger having cooled as well. "And fine, go ahead and not sign, just makes it better for me~ ha."

There's still a noticeable bristling, but Duke doesn't feel like dealing with all of that to measure things either. If anything he'd try to make Sparrow do it, but that's a waste of both of their time. "Don't tell me what to do with him - you don't get a say in what I tell him to do. Why don't you dance on off and waste more of your inheritance on knock-off dancing slippers?" 

"Ew, Sparrow, way to be a killjoy." Faybelle complains. She hops down, though, fluttering her wings for a quiet landing. "Still, I guess I can't really talk. I'm stuck with a heart this year. Like, c'mon, can't they at least spare a spade? So gross. Juno, you should be a dear and trade with me. I'm sure a beauty would totally not mind switching! They're all so . . . ugh, accommodating." she adds as if it's an insult.

Juno gives Faybelle a cold look. "My first year being recognized at the status I should be, and you want me to switch with you? There's a reason you're in heart, darling, you need one." she scoffs, and with a calculated look at Sparrow and Duke she blows a breath out. "I think I might just take my leave actually. No thanks to your suggestion, Duke." the dancer makes sure to comment as she twirls away back down the hall.

With a deep breath of his own, Sparrow leans against his locker. "Ooohhh, sorry. I just don't like raised voices like that. I know you two could be really good friends if you stopped letting this dancing thing get in the middle." he comments before reopening his locker and sticking his guitar into it. "Daddy will be back! But I am not carrying you around without my strap bag." he coos to the instrument.

There's a beat as Faybelle rolls her eyes. "Oh, how naive. Look, Sparrow, they're already friends. Or at least as friendly as either of them can probably get without it getting touchy-feely. That's just the way princesses are." she says, sounding very self-assured in her claim. "Characters from stories like yours wouldn't really get it." 

"Shut up, Faybelle." Duke sighs as he straightens out his sleeves with a huff. "You know, if you keep calling yourself that thing's 'Daddy' someone is going to overhear you and assume you're talking to a person. Thought if anyone believes you have a daddy kink, they probably need their head examined." the princess snorts.

There is a visible full body shiver, and Sparrow mimes getting sick. "Ugh, oh fairy dust, Duke! Why don’t you just turn me off sex forever, huh?" He sticks his tongue out again and shakes his head. "Not to mention, I may party but I don't sleep with people! Well, I have once, and they were younger than me! Definitely no kinks here; nothing like that, at least." He does another little shake before closing his locker. "And whatcha mean, stories like mine? I have to deal with royals! The worst ones too."

"You have to deal with a corrupt politician who wants to be rich. That's like . . . so what I would do, too. I can't even be mad about it!" Faybelle laughs, ponytail swinging as she cocks her hip to the side. "Like, seriously. That's a totally different royal from these t-pots." 

Duke raises an eyebrow and mockingly repeats after her, "Teapots?" He scoffs and waves her off as he finally snatches back his schedule and finds his locker - finally - a few doors down from Sparrow's. "Yeah, it stands for 'That princess over there.' Like, the snobby stereotypes?" Faybelle explains, gesturing at Sparrow to . . . presumably agree that he's heard the term.

Glancing curiously at the gesturing before shrugging at Duke, Sparrow giggles. "Thats so stupid. What does that even mean?" He giggles more. "Oh geez Faybelle, not your best moment. And I wasn't talking about Nottingham- ah, y'know what, never mind." He shrugs and heads over to poke Duke instead. "Heeey, we're close with lockers . . . does that mean we can share again?"

Despite his complaining about Sparrow half the time, the alpha nods. "Yeah, yeah, we can share again. Just don't fill it up with all of your snacks this time." Duke warns. He gestures at his own open locker before putting his whole bag of textbooks inside and leaning on the door. "Anything food-related that goes in here is at risk of me eating it, and I'm not putting up with complaints because you've been warned in advance." 

Faybelle watches this all with the morbid sort of amusement that comes from watching two people who should be dating flirt poorly with each other. At least, she thinks it's flirting. "If there's snacks in there and I hear about it, I'm totally busting in. Girl's gotta get her snack on sometimes and the castleteria is about as helpful as Apple White is to Raven." she says with a giggle at her own joke.

"You should just grow your own food then! Much more rewarding! Tehehe!" mentions a light, but definitely male voice, from the other side of the hall. "Since me and Simon started our garden, everything has just fallen into place!" Buchanan Gale states, closing his locker and looking at the dark fairy. Known to make his own clothing with whatever is available (since without school force, he would be going around in practically nothing), the omega almost looks like he has a bed sheet tied around him, toga style. A delicate flower crown sits in his hair, and flowers lace along his boots. "I could help, if you wanted!" 

Snickering to himself, Sparrow grins. "Yeah, yeah, I get it then. And you're free to put your dance shoes with my baby so they won't get dirty." he agrees with a roll of his eyes. "Should we help her? Gale is hard to get away from when he thinks he can help after all." Sparrow asks, subtly gesturing over his shoulder, in case the Swan Princess didn't hear.

There's a definite fluster as the fairy whirls around and spots the omega boy. She frowns at the unsolicited advice and waves her hand dismissively. "Not all of us are plant-loving nature buffs. My name may be Thorn, but I don't have much of a green thumb. Besides, I can't grow slices of chocolate cake!" 

"Hex no, let her suffer." Duke snickers, watching it all go down from over Sparrow's shoulder. "She's so easy to bait into an argument but Gale's so . . . Gale. I don't think someone could argue with him over anything, if he has a say in it." the alpha points out with an amused huff. "And I'm taking you up on storing my shoes in your locker, don't think I'll forget it!"

Gale easily laughs off the attempted insult. "Aw, but you can! Flour is just ground up grains or seeds, you can grow cocoa beans, and then you'll just need a few animal products and you’re practically square! It's really easy . . . " he says as he turns and re-opens his locker, pulling out a basket with a lid. "I made brownies that way just last night to start off the year! Want to try one?" he asks with a smile, offering the basket. 

The ginger omega immediately snags a brownie from the basket, breaking it in half and offering it to Duke, biting into his own half. "A lil’ dry, but with a glass of milk that'd be decent." he admits with a shrug, turning his back to the Oz native. The dim boy didn't think he wanted to talk. "And aw, Duke, I won't forget letting you have a favor! It's the least I can do for you."

"Wha- I'm not going through all that work for a brownie! That'll take months to grow all that nasty stuff and then I have to actually cook it? Do I look like a kitchen witch to you?" the fairy scoffs as she snatches a brownie for herself and bites into it. The reaction is immediate - wings freezing in place and then a shiver in her shoulders as her eyes widen and she takes another bite. "Ohmagaw- this is amazhin'." 

Duke takes the offered half and, after watching Faybelle bite into it and react as strongly as she does, he copies Sparrow. He can't really tell why she's freaking out so much but it is a pretty good brownie. "Maybe she's just a sucker for homemade food . . . hm. Yeah, this is making me thirsty." the princess agrees. "At least you have some manners, then. Unlike-" his voice changes to a mocking tone and rolls his eyes for effect, "Juno Dancer. Ugh. Now she's probably going to go around spreading it that I'll sleep with anyone just because I told her I'd done it already . . . " he grouses, finishing off his half of the brownie.

The Ozian blushes from the praise. "Thanks! I made them mostly for Simon and his sister, but if you want a couple, I guess that's okay. And if you change your mind about helping the garden or starting your own . . . Well, I could always use a little help bossing Simon back into working. He likes taking naps in the sun, such a cat he is!" Gale giggles, and the world brightens on his face for just a moment before it seemingly goes back to normal. "And I'm sorry about the dryness! They were a lot better straight out of the oven, but I'll keep that in mind when I offer them out now!" he agrees with another “tehe!”

Sparrow chokes slightly on the last bite, and nods at Duke. "R-right. Y’know, I’m curious! Who'd it end up being? Alpha, omega, male, female? Maybe someone outside the school? It must've been over break, right?" he asks, unaware that he’s rambling through the awkwardness.

Despite being against the extra work just to eat her own food, Faybelle squints at the Ozian native. " . . . fine, I'll come look at this stupid garden or something. But don't expect me to actually work. If you need someone to boss around the scarecrow, I can do that, but I am soooo not getting dirty for this." she warns before taking another bite and nearly melting again. 

"Ugh, Sparrow. That's the point. I haven't _actually!_ " Duke admits with a blush, voice cracking on the omega's name into the almost-honk he's known for. "I thought it would throw her off or get her to admit she's done it too so I could tell people, but now she just has ammunition on me. I can't even admit it if she starts the rumor!" the swan princess complains, frowning.

"Oh yeah!" Gale says with a big burst of excitement. "Oh right, here!" He brightens again, pulling out a few napkins and wrapping up 3 brownies. "One for each of you! I'm sure you'll have fun Faybelle, and you might even get to talk with Esmerelda! Besides, think of it this way, you'll have a captive audience to talk to~" he sings, playing up facts he knows the dark fairy is currently obsessed with. 

The relief is palpable from the ginger. "Oh right! I should have guessed. Well, I mean, you could go to Grimm or Baba Yaga and complain about defamation of character?" Sparrow suggests, sounding a little too smart for his normal self. "Or you can man up about it and just sleep with someone. It's not that bad, really. I finally got to it last year! Maybe I'll go for an alpha next time because being with an omega was a little bit of a let down." he snickers to himself.

Duke wrinkles his nose but doesn't immediately disagree. "Maybe I should. I don't know if anyone is going to say yes after everything last chapter, but it's worth a shot. At the very least I am not graduating a virgin." he decides before snatching his extra brownie from Faybelle. "Pickings are going to be slim, though. I'm not going to just bend over for someone, so it'll have to be a girl or an omega . . . " 

There's a spark of interest in Faybelle's eye when she nods and accepts the brownies - along with a quick and nasty glare as Duke takes his. "Right. Well . . . I should talk to her more since we're rooming together this year. I'll . . . see you around. I guess. At least until this garden thing gets cursedly boring." It's probably the most polite she's been to anyone other than Sparrow all morning. "Thanks for the brownies."

"Once orientation ends I’ll be sure to find you for the schedule! No worries Faybelle, I'm happy to help others, and I'm sure the three of us will be happy to have you." Gale says with a smile, and a floral scent can be picked up on as the omega’s eyes widen. "Have to go, though, we'll talk soon.” he promises before practically skipping off to a much taller blond alpha who seemingly just arrived. 

Not reaching for what should be his brownie, Sparrow shrugs again. "I'm sure you can find a few. Apparently even princesses are-" He claps his hands together and slowly opens them, keeping the heels of his hands together, "opening up, yknow? If the boys’ chat is anything to go by, anyway." He snickers, continuing, "It even has pictures, today! Magnus is such an ass." He snorts before wrapping an arm around Duke's shoulders. "So, about those rooms . . . "

One of the two brownies ends up in Faybelle's mouth as soon as Buchanan moves on, and the other gets slipped into the fairy's purse. "Ya know, tha' migh' be worff it for da browniesh." she mumbles out despite her mouthful. She glances between the two boys as she realizes she's totally lost track of their conversation. "Wassshup wiff da rooms?"

Duke huffs, amused, and raises an eyebrow at Sparrow. "About those rooms? I'm guessing you're going to be asking to steal your way into mine again so you don't have to languish in a club every night?" the alpha asks. He glances at Faybelle too and winces. "Ugh, swallow before you talk, you're better than that by at least some measure."

"They're sooo small! And if I have to room with Mr. Shoes, I need space! And you're in a diamond. That's more than my whole room, just on your side! Like, it only makes sense!" he complains with a pout. "Sure, I’d put me in a club, but they put a princess that's near graduation in one! Like whaaaa~" Sparrow drawls out, almost singing. "Besides, I'm sure good Ol' Willie won't mind."

Faybelle nods knowingly with a muffled hum as she realizes what they're talking about and does, indeed, finish the brownie. She elbows Duke and raises an eyebrow coyly. "C'mon, Duke, it's not like you're going to mind either. He'll just break into someone else's room otherwise." she snickers.

"Fine, you can swing by when you need to. If William complains though, you're dealing with him. Maybe you can keep him from staring when I get out of the shower if you're going to be around." the princess muses. "But if you play that guitar at full volume in my room again, I'm kicking you into the forest!"

The musician laughs and bows. "Of course! Guitar playing in my room or the treehouse at night. Or just soft lullabies for you." He grins again at his friend. "And, despite sometimes being seen as a villain, my story is about helping fair maidens, too! So of course I'll help defend your honor." He adds before cuffing Duke on the shoulder, not really thinking about it. "I'm not afraid of punching William. He might be broader than me, but I'm definitely stronger!"

Duke fondly sighs. "Of course you're stronger than him, he's not good at anything. You're at least active in sports . . . " He glances down Sparrow's body, about to comment something else, when he flushes faintly pink and scowls. "Though it'll cause more trouble than it's worth if you punch him. Don't be stupid, Sparrow." the alpha scolds as he fiddles with his locker door again. 

The cursory glance is not overlooked by the dark fairy who just shakes her head. _'Absolutely hopeless.'_ She looks down the hall at other students congregating with friends and decides she's getting at least a little pushy, for her friends' sakes. "You know, what you really should do is ask Diamonds to switch with Sparrow. He's definitely got a thing for Ash and might take the club room just to be around him and Hunter since, you know, they're the same sort." she suggests coolly.

Actually jumping a bit, Sparrow grins. "That's a great idea! And if we put it through to Baba Yaga, I'm sure she'd let us switch! Maybe he's in the room by now, we should hurry before he unpacks!" he rambles on, almost rapping with how fast he’s talking, before he grabs Duke’s hand and practically drags him off to the diamond room tower. When the Princess complains too much, he just picks him up for the sprint up the long, winding staircase. It's actually pretty impressive. There's a series of surprised honks before Duke calms himself down, clinging to Sparrow as he hurries through the school to the diamond tower.

Inside his room, William has his trunk on his bed, and by the look of it, has barely gotten into it. The pale blonde glances at the clock on the wall. "Hm, second morning. Earlier than I expected to see Sparrow Hood this year. Hi, Duke, Faybelle. If you're going to be gossiping can we please keep it down? Dealing with trying to rework Hopper’s _'Briar plan'_ has given me a headache."

The princess still has arms wrapped around the ginger boy's shoulders when he realizes they've reached his room and William is already there. "Sparrow, are you totally topsy turvy?! Put me down!" the alpha yelps.

Faybelle's cackling as she follows them in and promptly flies over to Duke's bed and flops onto it. "Oh, sure thing, Diamonds! As long as you hear out Sparrow's proposal. I want to at least hear him finish before you totally shoot him down." the fairy sing-songs to the alpha boy.

Despite the weird look he gives her, Williams does stop what he's doing and sits on the bed to wait. The guitarist in question fumbles a bit, but manages to set Duke down easily. "Yeah, so, I'm rooming with Ash Ella this year. And, well, I know you two are close . . . and I'm in a club, so we are just crawling over each other all the time! So y’know . . . if you wanted to switch . . . " 

The younger boy cuts him off, "Hell no. My mother would kill me if I gave up a diamond for a club. Look, I don't want you all in my stuff, and I don't have much. So if you can help me move this bed over there-" he gestures to the far wall, "and we can get some sort of divider, I'll give up half of my space. I'll even help push for another bed to be brought in and you can like . . . half move in as long as you stay out of my shit, Hood." The ginger shrugs at the proposal and glances at Duke.

" . . . Deal. We can move it now and I can order in something as a divider for you." Duke agrees after a moment of thought and a long glance at Sparrow. "I'll even make sure he still keeps the music confined to his treehouse unless you're . . . out with the boys." the alpha tells him as another assurance this won't be a bad idea. 

Faybelle actually covers her mouth with a hand, surprised that the pushy princess agreed so easily. "Don't look at me to help push the bed. I'll be happy to supervise, though! And, you know, help William move his stuff . . . maybe take a peek at the new shoes I hear he got on pre-release from 'Princely Prancers' this year?" she suggests with a quick look at his suitcase.

"Moving it now would be easiest." William comments before smacking the hood of his trunk closed. "Hunny, even if you did see them, I'm about 4 sizes bigger than you." He rolls his eyes and gestures at Sparrow. "Take a breather than grab that end, we're pushing it all the way to the corner."the prince says before taking off his shoes and socks, removing his jacket, and rolling up his sleeves to show off impressive forearm muscles. Rolling the sleeves tightened the fabric around his shoulders and back, sheer enough to see the surprisingly defined ripple of muscles. 

The omega does take a deep breath, but it sounds more like a choke. "Ah no, I'm good. Let's, uh, let's do this." Sparrow agrees, before similarly removing his socks and shoes, hat and jacket. He doesn't roll his sleeves, as he is already in a tank. With a shrug, William nods and both boys get to work, easily sliding the four poster bed to the corner over the carpet. It's quite the sight for their spectators, really.

 _'Watching the boys has its perks at least.'_ Faybelle thinks to herself as they haul the bed across the room. When she glances at Duke and sees him confused and glaring at William it causes her to laugh, which she quickly stifles. Not quickly enough to escape notice, but certainly quickly enough that Duke shrugs her off quickly. "Juno must be mental if she thinks you need toughening up." the princess scoffs, referring directly to William. "At least that was painless and quick. Good work."

Confused, the silvery blond squints at the princess before an 'aha' sort of look flashes across his face, "Dancer? Probably because she made me cry when I told her off. She keeps trying to push her way into Hunter’s pants. And, I cry easy." he admits with a small pout before smacking Sparrow’s hand away from his trunk with a glare. 

The omega grins. "Sorry, old habits. I'll be good by the end of orientation." Sparrow gives a mock bow, before scampering back to his belongings on Duke's side. "Hey, until we get that third bed, I can just share with you right? I mean the beds are big enough, in a diamond!"

"Just don't start crying when you have to deal with these two. Sparrow might be a sucker but Duke's pretty cold!" Faybelle cackles, expecting Duke to back her claims by promptly telling Sparrow to sleep on the floor. 

She's surprised to hear muttering and a groan from the dark-haired alpha. "Fine, until we get another bed. But if you go too far into my side, I'm making you live in the closet instead!" the princess threatens.

With the omega finally away from his bed and trunk, William opens it again and shrugs. "No, I'm pretty sure these two don't upset me. Mainly just tick me off, like the end of last year." he comments pretty plainly. "As long as he is living in your closet Duke, I still think it's bigger than his room."

The omega cheers and flops onto the bed, barely even jostling Faybelle due to the size of the furniture. "I could carry my mattress from the club up here, too. Just sleep on the floor! Might work out better for us, cause at least then we don't have to deal with any teachers for anything other than the divider." Sparrow comments, laying on his back, his hands in the air gesturing widely.

The dark fairy snorts and giggles as she pictures Sparrow sleeping with his mattress at the foot of Duke's like a dog bed. _'How fitting.'_ She stretches and folds her arms behind her head. "Willieboy's just about right, though, your closet is almost as big as a club room. But I don't know if anyone in this room is ready to come out of the closet on a daily basis, yet." she snickers. 

Duke rolls his eyes but flops down as well. "Not to mention, Ella will love the extra space. He might even help carry it just to get it out faster! That would be convenient . . . now if only we had some fairy repellent."

Sparrow snickers, chiming in, "I should go ask Ella actually! He should be here by now, right? It's, like, almost 9:30. He'd have to be here by now. If he has Hunter with him, it'll go even quicker . . . hmmm, they might want to keep the bed to double it up, in case Hunter ever spends the night . . . " he debates with himself, wiggling on the sheet as he thinks.

Glaring at the dark fairy again, William rolls his eyes. "I feel like you're trying to point at something Faybelle. Want to just say it out loud for the class?" he deadpans, before going though his trunk again and making a small upset sound. "Aw, no!" He holds up a shirt with a few black stains, pouting. "My eyeliner spilled."

Faybelle rolls her eyes. "Just that I don't know what's worse - everyone knowing about you but your mom, or these two dancing around everything like it isn't cursedly obvious." she explains as she sits up. A flutter of wings and she's off the bed. "If Ash and Hunter need to double up, they're probably missing the point of sharing one bed in the first place." the fairy snorts before rolling her shoulders. "New shirt ruined, stains so tragic, fix it up with fairy magic!" she cheers, doing some of her cheer choreography with the spell and blasting William's shirt. 

"Warn someone before you go flinging magic around, Fay!" Duke snaps even as the eyeliner seems to fling itself onto the wall instead. At least the shirt is clean. "And I don't know what you're talking about. Stop hanging out at the Hatter's shop before you go more mad, yourself."

The prince looks decently impressed. "Okay, fine. You win, Faybelle. since you saved my shirt." William says, carefully removing the rest of his clothing from his possibly-ruined trunk, and holds out a box and magazine to her. "All the new hit deals from Princely Prancers. None of them are technically released to the public until next month, but they gave me a catalog to pre-order if I wanted to." 

Chuckling a bit nervously, Sparrow hops up from the bed and starts putting his shoes and socks back on, his jacket getting tugged on last. "Well, this has been fun; glad to have worked this out, William. But I really should head off to talk to Ash before we get too much further. Depends on how much furniture we might have to move on all these steps." He shrugs, about to leave the room. "I'll see you all later."

The fairy squeals as she takes the catalog and hugs it to her chest. "This isn't leaving my sight. I'll get it back to you tomorrow! Or, you know, maybe the day after." Faybelle says with a flick of her ponytail and a grin. She glances over at Sparrow leaving and sees an opportunity, so she flips over to him and links their arms. "I'm going with you. Ash and I have some gossip to swap." she informs him with no room for argument. 

Duke frowns at the quick departure but doesn't get up off the bed. For now he just sits up and fixes where his hair has fallen loose. "Right. Well. I guess I'll see you later. If it's too much to carry, just get Daring to help you or something." he tells the redhead before waving his hand to both shoot the two of them out and say goodbye.

"No, wait! Aaaand they're gone." William huffs and rolls his shoulders before unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it aside to slip into something much more comfortable. He starts on his pants, next. "Do you really not see what's between you and Sparrow? I mean, like, he seemed upset."

The alpha raises an eyebrow - not that William is likely to see it from the angle they're both at. "Between me and Sparrow? What are you even going on about, Diamonds? Sparrow and I haven't ever had anything between us aside from his guitar . . . when I tried to yank it out of his hands and crush it." Duke snorts, not sounding like he really gets it. 

Shrugging before switching his pants to softer sweats, William sighs. "Guess I'm imagining it all, then. Sorry." he says, though his tone implies it's sarcastic. "You know, with your story, you think you'd be a little nicer. At least to your friends." the prince complains before starting to put his clothes away.

"We moved on, and he learned that not everyone likes black magic metal." the princess scoffs. "Besides, you're fine with how I treat you. At the very least you haven't complained to my face about it more than . . . what, twice?" he asks with a laugh. "What does that even have to do with Sparrow, though?" 

William rolls his eyes and sighs heavily. "Wow. I guess nothing, I . . . I hope that way of life works for you then, Duke." he says with a shake of his head. He turns his back on the dancer after that, shifting his attention to his trunk instead. 

**\------Meanwhile------**

With his arm linked, Sparrow continues on, barely grinning when he hears William shout out after them. "You're not supposed to show that to Ash, you know. That'll, like . . . wreck the shoe economy. Now, let me see! I need new heels for my shows and these guys are the only ones in my size with the style I like." Sparrow whines, grabbing for the book.

"Oh, fine. Just tell Diamonds you didn't see it." Faybelle agrees, handing it over. "You should be happy I even snagged it - it's backup in case the show queen decides he wants the option of fucking Huntsman on both beds more than he wants to help you. This is prime bribe material." the female omega points out with a tone that just screams _"Duh."_

"What? Psh, we don't need the extra bed, it's just useful. I don't think Ash needs to be bribed." he chuckles flipping, through a few pages. "Hmm, I’m starting to wonder how gay William really is. I think he has a girlfriend. Look, look at all the shoes that are circled right now!" he whines, pointing at several very feminine shoes that have indeed been circled.

Faybelle looks them over and rolls her eyes. "Trust me, he's gay. At the very least he's gay enough to be a threat to your chances if Duke starts getting desperate, because William is not a top." the fairy comments as she tuts over the possibilities. "If you really don't want to get the second bed then you should be honest with Ella. That way he can lie to Duke later if the swan starts honking over it."

The ginger tilts his head, looking a little confused. "I never said I didn't want it, just that it wasn't essential. You confuse me Faybelle. I always feel like we're talking about the same subject, just in wildly different ways." He chuckles, awkwardly. "Asking Ash to help move that bed is just easier than asking a teacher for an extra one. That's all." Sparrow explains with a shrug as he flips the page in the magazine. "Oooh, here they are! Now I just gotta copy down this product code . . . "

" . . . and here I thought you had a brilliant plan to get him to share the bed with you. I've really got to stop overestimating your seduction techniques." the evil fairy groans as she walks with him. She looks at the boots he's considering and raises her eyebrow. "Oh my fair godmother, you're ordering those? Sparrow, do you even know how to walk in heels that sharp?" Faybelle asks, surprised and admittedly in disbelief for the moment.

Fortunately, Sparrow balks. "Seduction tech-- Faybelle! There is nothing like that going on, honestly." He rolls his eyes at her. "You're a terrible matchmaker if you keep trying to push us together." The archer smiles, a little morosely. "And how dare you question my ability in heels! They make my ass look wondrous. It's all about balance and hip movement! I can walk in up to 4 inches; really, these are nothing. I just can't order them around my dad."

With a huff, the fairy pats his shoulder. "Well I'm glad you can handle heels, then. But no, I'm not stopping with gently encouraging you two to figure things out. Duke's oblivious and you're so in . . . ugh, love . . . that it's disgusting. And, like, I can't just let that slide. The only thing more annoying than love is unrequited love." she explains with no sign of remorse.

Despite trying to fight, like every other time this comes up, once they get to the bottom of the stairs to the diamond tower, the thief sighs heavily instead. "I . . . guess. But unrequited love is, well, unrequited for a reason. Duke doesn't . . . he won't like me. So, I'm fine with that. Really. I'm not . . . I'm not even sure what's going to happen with my story, so I can't pretend that everything might work out well and I can end up with him. I'll just be selfish and take what I can, for as long as I can. And once that's over, at least we'll still be friends . . . well, hopefully."

"You're so- ugh! I don't even get you two anymore, I swear." Faybelle complains with a roll of her eyes. "What even is so complicated about your story, anyway? Isn't it just . . . you know . . . rob the rich, feed the poor, marry some chick in the castle and ride off into the sunset to have lots of little mini-thieves?" the fairy asks with a glance at the redhead as they start down the halls of the school. She knows she might be missing some details, but that all still seems pretty straightforward.

The thief looks conflicted. "My father didn't marry Maid Maron until I was 8. Did you know that? He technically broke another book's story by accident and freed the fair maiden: that was my mother. So, it's . . . He wants me to be Robin Hood, and has tried to remove any possibility that I might not be, but I . . . I might be destined to be part of my mother's story instead. I just . . . don't know exactly what it was. So, I have no real knowledge which way I'll fall, yknow?" he explains with a grimace. It's not something he would normally talk about, and he’s uncomfortable.

There's a long pause in the conversation as they keep walking. When Faybelle does finally say something, it's in a surprisingly sympathetic tone. "That's . . . wow. That's actually kinda complicated. I'm sorry that you didn't have your mom around long enough to learn the other half of your story." she tells him with a tense frown. "I can't imagine not knowing what I'd do for my destiny. Hope that it's a good one, maybe." It's an unsettling thought. "I'll stop ragging on you about Hood stuff, I guess. There goes half my material!" Faybelle jokes, in her own way trying to reassure him she wouldn't use this information against him somehow.

The ginger winces again. "Yeah. But dad is so sure I'll be Robin Hood . . . I think he's just scared of what might happen to him if I'm not. He's never managed to have any kids by Maid Maron so I'm not sure what'll happen to his story. But at the same time, I carry that fear with my mother’s, since me and my father are not very sure what it is . . . " he admits before shrugging,

“I'm sorry. You have your own story problems without me dumping mine. It was just nice to mention it for once." Sparrow quietly says with a small, grateful, smile. If anything really bugged him about the predicament, it's the moments he can't talk about, like how his father burned his mother's page after killing her. He can't even properly remember what she looks like or her name. He couldn't look her up in past yearbooks if he wanted to, and there’s no easy way to start explaining that.

"I guess? I just need to be evil, you know? And Mom's really supportive. Well, both are. Just have to . . . curse some people, throw a fit when I don't get invited to parties, try to kill princes. Yours sounds way more interesting and complicated than mine. Seems hexing awful to not know, though." Faybelle wraps an arm around his waist briefly and gives Sparrow a quick squeeze. "If you ever want help figuring it out . . . I know some people I can blackmail into lending a hand." she offers with a wink.

"I've spent most of my time here trying to figure out what story it is. But I don't think I’ve even come close, so actually, if you ever get bored, I wouldn't mind an extra hand." Sparrow chuckles, bumping his fellow omega as he jumps ahead to the first stair of the club tower. "Race you up? You flying, me running. Let's figure this shit out, yeah?"

Faybelle's eyes narrow even as her grin spreads and she lets her wings start fluttering. "Oh, you are so on!" she agrees before shooting off into the air and up the stairs. It's a tight race considering she has to keep adjusting her path with the curve of the tower, and the fairy's admittedly laughing when she finally reaches the top. "My wings are going to be killing me, oh my godmother!"

The ginger laughs, and possibly only because he took a corner a bit quicker than his fairy friend, he slams into his room's door and cheers. "Aha! I win! Whoo, out of breath though, hang on." he pants, doubling over to put his hands on his knees and taking deep breaths in between laughing. 

"Hmm, I don't know. Babe, can you push it a little bit more towards the window?" Ash asks, fingers tapping his mouth thoughtfully as he examines the layout of his room. It's . . . a tight fit. Especially considering he knows he's rooming with Sparrow, the princess knows he needs to maximize his space. _'Maybe I should've asked for Blondie's help after all.'_

Inside the room, Hunter is moving a dresser with a grunt, only to spaz and fall down when there is a loud bang on the door. It’s followed by a few raised voices. "Looks like your roommate is finally here, Babe. Poor timing, huh? I thought for sure he wouldn't show up until after noon. It's gonna be a squeeze with us three trying to maneuver." he laughs with a huff, standing back up and sliding the dresser under the window.

Ash jumps a bit at the bang and then laughs to himself. "No kidding. It's fine, he'll probably just want to drop off something . . . knowing Sparrow, he'll be off with the Merry Guys." the alpha points out as he opens the door. He's clearly surprised to see Faybelle as well, but smiles at them both. "Hey! What's up, roomie? I hope you don't mind that Hunter's up here helping me move things around." 

"Oh, I'm sure he's moving plenty." Faybelle teases with a labored snicker, catching her breath still from the quick flight up the rather large tower. "Glad to see you two are still going strong with your rebel love." she adds, loudly enough this time for Hunter to hear as well.

There's a brief cheer from inside the room "Woo, rebel lurrrve!" and then some laughter, as Hunter appears just over Ash's shoulder. "Hey guys! It’s a tight fit but come in, if you can. We're trying to maximize space for the both of you, promise!" The future(maybe)-archer shakes his head, grinning.

"Actually, it's why I wanted to talk to you, Ash! Duke cut a deal with William. They both said that, basically, if I can haul my bed from here, and my trunk, all the way to their room, I can sleep, like . . . in Duke's closet or something. But that's the gist of it. You can have this whole room to yourself, yeah!" Sparrow manages to say, finally standing back up.

The alpha admittedly looks excited at the prospect so Faybelle cuts in to correct Sparrow's statement. "Actually, they said he could move in, period. If you two wanted to keep the bed, then that's understandable, too. It's sort of just a matter of whether you'd help move it all or not." 

Ash looks surprised at that and glances at Hunter. "I mean . . . the second bed would really come in handy but I guess you could take it-? But really that's more up to Hunter! I mean, he'd be the one helping you since I've got to get the room all sorted. Ahaha . . . Hey, honeybun, what do you think?" he asks sweetly with a look over at his boyfriend. It's pretty clear he's not going to do any of the heavy lifting.

The other alpha looks admittedly confused for a moment, before immediately shaking his head. "Oh no, sorry guys, uh, tweaked something over break. Can't really do lifting like that, ahaha." He chuckles awkwardly and shrugs, faking a wince. 

Sparrow shrugs back, the deception flying over his head. "That's fine! I can see if William will help, or if I can just do it myself. I mean, it can't be that heavy, right?" He laughs, waving a hand and pushing past Hunter to where his trunk is already on his bed. He heaves it off, and proceeds to try and flip the mattress to its side, to test carrying it.

"No, no, don't worry about that! That's such a far way to take it! I'll- I'll find someone to move it for you." Ash cuts in quickly, closing the distance between himself and Sparrow so he can keep the mattress in place. "I wouldn't want you hurting something right as the school year starts! It might bench you from bookball, after all." he points out with a nervous laugh. 

Faybelle has to stifle a laugh and looks over at Hunter, raising an eyebrow as though to ask "Really?" over Ash's behavior. She's not about to leave the princess completely hanging, though, and grins. "You know, Sparrow, there's a chance that Ash is just too nice to say he wants to keep the bed. All the better to defile his hero on! Unless of course, Hunter sacrifices a bed from whoever he's rooming with." the fairy says, tone implying she's actually joking but her eyes looking quite serious as they're locked on Hunter's.

"Oh yeah! I room with Clarence in another club room this year, and you guys can just take a bed from there! Ahaha. Wait, not because of the defiling thing! That's- that's not what this is about. Besides, I wouldn't be the one getting ‘defiled’ anyway, ahahaha . . . ha . . . ha?" the huntsman says as he tries to cover for them, but he just ends up digging himself into a hole. 

Once again the omega boy is giggling, "But this one is right here! And technically mine. So, why not just move the bed from your room over to here? I mean, it's not like Clarence needs a full bed anyway. He could just make one with, like . . . matches." Sparrow points out. "And while Ash is very nice, he knows me well enough to just say no to my face!" he says with a laugh. "Besides, it'll take three trips- two if William helps. Just the trunk in one go, but maybe Faybelle can zap it? Then just carrying the mattress, so I just gotta take apart the frame, and that'll be easy and an easy trip!"

Ash blushes red and looks at his boyfriend with a disbelieving stare before just covering his face with his hands. "What in the kingdom is my life . . . okay, Sparrow, I'll help you disassemble the frame." the princess offers as he avoids looking the very much giggling Faybelle in the eye. "You, um, if you want to carry the mattress first, I'll have this taken apart by the time you're back."

There's another snort and the dark fairy watches the awkward couple squirm. "Oh, I'm sure you will. I can definitely make the trunk fly, at least, so there won't need to be three full trips. It'll be plenty fast enough for you two to get back to arranging things for yourself." she teases with a wink.

Even Sparrow is snickering. "Yeah, thanks Ash! Also, good luck~ cause I think Willie might throw a fit if he finds out you top sometimes." he whispers to the strawberry blond before quickly dodging away with the mattress. "C’mon Faybelle let's hit it!" He cackles as he leaves, only mildly encumbered by the mattress. 

The huntsman looks sheepishly at his boyfriend and shrugs. "Sorry, babe? I got twisted up . . . eheh? And wait- no, what's this about William?" Hunter asks as the room door snaps shut behind Sparrow and Faybelle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile
> 
> Entering in:  
> Duke Swan 17, A  
> Sparrow Hood 18, O  
> Faybelle Thorne 19, O  
> Juno Dancer 17, A  
> Buchanan Gale 18, O  
> Ash Ella 17, A  
> Hunter Huntsman 17, A


	6. Interviews and Intervention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gave a extra long chapter, due to the new upload schedule 
> 
> **PLEASE READ** Chapter 7 will be posted on Dec 6th, instead. And from that point on, the updates will be Every **4** weeks! Thank you for being patient with us. 
> 
> Jacob might as well be an oc with how we’ve changed him from the show
> 
> Marshall, Cooper (the Miller and Puss in Boots, from Puss in Boots),  
> Siegfried (from the Squire and the Scroll),  
> Titus (from the Brave Little Tailor),  
> Irene, Nadine (from the Wizard of Oz) are all ocs! 
> 
> **Chapter warnings!!** : Lack of Privacy, Apparent mental freak out, Lying, Coming out stories, The Bro Chat, Sexual pictures of a minor being distributed, Manipulation, Gaslighting

**((9:45 am. Castleteria. Day 3 of orientation week))**

Very few people were in the Castleteria, possibly from the hastily drawn on posters saying _**"NO ENTRY UNTIL 10 AM. MirrorCast SETUP IN PROGRESS".** _

Thankfully most students are too polite to call bullshit. Some students, though, don't let any barrier disrupt them. Siegfried pushes past the doors easily, and strolls up to Blondie Locks. "Excuse me. I’m Siegfried Squire, and my scroll has informed me that I should help you with your interviews this morning. Or until . . . " He pulls out a . . . floating scroll? . . . and unfurls it, before continuing, "-until at least 1 pm. Where can I help?"

The blonde looks at the boy with clear annoyance until the scroll floats and she realizes this isn't someone that's going to just go away if asked. Sighing, Blondie decides to make the best of the situation. "Fine, then. Either you can help by filling in for Dexter or I guess you can help me with my interviews, as long as you don't mess up my MirrorCast. Everything needs to be just right." she warns. 

Dexter nearly fumbles the camera and has to adjust his glasses. "Uh, n-no, I'm good on the camera! Especially since the alternative is probably me helping with the interviews and, ha, we know how that goes."

"Yes it does say help with interviews. These are the questions you'll be asking, correct?" Siegfried asks, handing her another sheet of paper with all possibilities of questions she was thinking of asking. The scroll either disappears or is put away instantly as the paper comes into view. It’s hard to tell, since the squire doesn’t seem to do it himself. "If I follow the scroll to the letter, I fulfill my destiny and save all the realms, at least that's what my story is about. So don't worry. It hasn't failed me yet."

Tying one last anchor point to hold up a light, Humphrey makes a loud noise of confusion. The blond omega boy squirrels himself back to the ground from on top of the light and snorts, pushing his glasses up. "I think he could work, Blondie. I've seen the utter miracles this scroll apparently does."

" . . . So that scroll makes sure that you do everything right? That's . . . perfect! Alright, sit down. I just need to touch up your hair and-" The blonde pauses and looks confused before smiling brightly. "Nevermind your hair. Just go over the questions with me." she tells him instead, seeming satisfied with his appearance. 

There's a moment before Dexter looks over at Humphrey with wide eyes and glances between the blond boy and the newcomer with obvious surprise. _"Did she just . . . not meddle with him?"_ he mouths at his once-upon-a-time roommate.

Humphrey rolls his eyes and mimes a "whaddya gonna do" gesture before nodding, and mouthing back. "miracle bullshit". He snickers before tapping his watch. "Five minutes, Blondie, until we open the doors." 

The black haired omega boy nods and sits, going over the questions diligently. "Are my skills just right for you Miss Blondie?" he asks, just as Humphrey is making his way over to open the doors.

The blonde looks immensely pleased and flashes the omega boy a smile that looks more relaxed than usual. "Until someone comes in and puts your real interview skills to the test, yes actually! Which is kind of amazing, because I don't think anyone at school has ever been just right at anything aside from maybe Apple and the Charmings." she comments with a laugh. 

There are plenty of people waiting outside the door, alternatively excited for the chance to be on the MirrorCast and just plain hungry. Dexter braces himself when he hears the crowd gathered outside. "Uh, Siegfried, do you always sound so . . . monotone? That doesn't really sound great in recording."

The blond egg-boy opens the door and smiles at the gathered masses. "Hey, sorry everyone, and thanks for waiting. If you want to be interviewed, please line up behind the yellow line. We also might do a loop around if you just wanna eat some breakfast first. Sorry!" His nasally voice cracks a little and he scurries back to his group, manning the light again. 

The dark haired boy looks a little annoyed but his scroll appears again. He reads it over again before nodding, with the scroll disappearing. "Right! Sorry, I'll be a little more vocal and emotional, this better?" He asks, his voice raising an octave, and suddenly sounding rather . . . smooth, and confident with the proper enunciation.

Several students follow Humphrey's directions, some ignore him entirely and earn a disapproving look from Dexter as he has to adjust to try and get as many extra people out of frame as possible. 

"That's- wow, that's absolutely fairest! Keep up with that and we'll do great." Blondie encourages, clearly delighted with his change in tone and, most notably, how quickly he'd managed it. "Our first guest is coming up - let's make this the best cast of the winter." She turns to face forward fully, smiling peppily for the camera.

"Hello, Ever After! This is Blondie Lockes, coming to you straight from Ever After High on the third day of orientation week! This school year is going to be absolutely fablesse and I've got a great co-host - Siegfried Squire - to help me kick it off! We'll be taking interviews with the students to find out what fun, juicy gossip is already floating around and what scandals may have gone down over the break! Do you think we'll get some good news, Siegfried?" she asks with a wink in his direction.

"Of course, Blondie! There's always the _just right_ amount of gossip at Ever After." he says from his spot next to the blonde, a wide natural-looking smile gracing his face instead of his normal deadpan expression. He looks as energetic as Blondie, really. "And look, our first interview is with Ever After High's own cursed damsel, Cedar Wood!"

The girl in question looks flustered but excited as she bounces into frame, smiling and waving. "Hi, Blondie! And good work Siegfried! Oh, it's already been such a splinterful day!" she says as she takes the designated seat in between the two interviewers.

The blonde journalist brightens at having an easy first interview and grins at the honest girl. "I'm sure it has been! Can you start with telling us about yourself, as a refresher? Your name, your story, some important stuff to introduce you to our watchers - that sort of thing!" Blondie prompts.

"Oh gosh sure! Uh, I'm Cedar Wood, daughter of Pinocchio! Uh, I'm 16, an alpha, and I can't tell a lie!" she spouts off cheerfully, nodding at Siegfried who steps away, so as not to interfere with the interview. Instead he maneuvers the line/crowd of people into something more manageable.

"I can definitely vouch for that curse! That's a heads up to all of you newer students this year - Cedar's always great company, but you shouldn't put her in a situation where she has to hide the truth!" Blondie confirms playfully for the camera. "Now tell me, Cedar, about _allll_ of the juicy details from your winter break? New guy? New girl? Any spicy relationship news you've gotten about other fablesse couples?" she asks, taking advantage of the girl's lack of filter to get info.

The wooden girl grimaces, answering, "Well . . . um, I heard Briar Beauty and Mad Magnus are dating! Oh and Daring and Apple have finally started dating over the break! Oh, _and_ the Charming's sister is here this year!"

The girl gasps and glares at Dexter briefly for not telling her, but her smile widens as she quickly squeals in excitement. "Wow, Briar Beauty and Magnus LeGume, what an interesting combo. But, oh my Grimm, you guys heard it here first! Apple White and Daring Charming are finally an item! Congrats too, to our new students, but wow, I don't think there's any news today that'll top Snow White's daughter settling down with her prince Charming -- capital C intended!" the journalist and professional gossip cheerfully declares.

There's a small amount of laughter, as Humphrey pats his friend on the back. Cedar grins and opens her mouth to start up again, but Siegfried has swooped back to her side. "Well thank you so much, Miss Wood! But unfortunately we have a lot of students to get through today! Thanks and please exit this way." he says, still exceptionally jovial so that Cedar doesn't even take offense, just smiles and waves. "And now, Blondie, our next interviewee is Jacob Beanstalk! Let's have a cheer for our guy in green." he says with a smile.

"Wow, Siegfried! Great timing! I'm sure Cedar wanted to go grab some of the delicious specials the Castleteria is offering today. They're working off the _Fairytale Favorites_ menu, so everyone should give it a fairest try." Blondie happily tells the camera as Jacob approaches. 

The alpha boy waves at Dexter and his recording equipment as he takes his seat, glancing between the two hosts. "Uh, wow. I didn't expect to make it up here so quickly. Hi, everyone!" he says with a crooked smile.

The pale omega boy gives Blondie a nod, and steps close to her, whispering, "I've rearranged the line a bit to what the scroll said would be best." With that said he steps next to Jacob. "Give us, and the audience on the Mirror, a quick overview of yourself Jacob, if you please. Let us get to know you, before we get to know any gossip!"

The blonde girl nods as Jacob hesitates briefly with the change in question structure. "Yeah, sure! No problem. My name's Jacob Beanstalk, the next Jack and the Beanstalk. I'm an alpha, sixteen, and my favorite color is actually blue, not green . . . surprising, I know. I guess I'm a royal, if you're into the whole destiny debate, too. I don't know if that's still a hot topic this year." Jacob admits with a laugh.

"A hot topic? Let's be honest, ever since Raven Queen shook the fairytale world with not signing and then the book turning up as a fake? It's still the hottest news outside of relationships!" Siegfried laughs and winks at the camera. "So let us know Jacob, was this break the one? Did you finally manage to break your time on the stalk? Any lucky golden eggs of gossip you have to tell?"

There's a moment where the alpha seems to clearly perk up. "I did, actually! Beat it by 45 seconds, and I'm aiming to shave off another 30 by the summer. As far as gossip goes, I don't know how much is really good news for the show to cover. I've heard about some transfer students this year and I know Briar's already taken his stuff up to the dorms. I didn't mean to peek, but uh, I saw some potion bottles in one of his bags? Maybe he's trying some new classes this year and was practicing over break? For a princess, he's probably really good at brewing to have so many." he helpfully supplies with a smile, happy for his roommate.

There is a loud collective "Ooooohhhh!" from, mostly, the males close by - including Humphrey and Dexter. The blond is quickly and quietly whispering to the prince behind the camera.

Siegfried himself looks surprised, a rare feat in itself. He quickly goes over to Blondie and whispers to her, "There's a chat for the guys, Briar was with Magnus over break, intimately, this could be big!" After that he turns to Jacob and smiles. "Right, thank you Jacob. So lovely having you. Next up is Titus Tailor! Let's give a cheer!" he says quickly, trying to get the crowd and show moving onward, as he steps over a cord and tugs Titus into the spotlight.

Blondie is giving Siegfried, Dexter and Humphrey very critical looks, seemingly looking them over as though looking for weaknesses. She's satisfied with whatever she finds and smiles with a giggle as Titus gets brought over and Jacob is shooed out of the way. "What a scoop, folks! It's always fun to hear about roommate drama. Now, Titus, give us an intro and a few fun facts about yourself before we get to the juicy details that we're all really here to ask!"

The dark skinned alpha grins as he sits while Jacob vacates the area. "Sure, anything for you Blondie." he says with a grin and a wink, "Titus Tailor, son of the Brave Tailor. I'm 18, and an alpha that’s ready to party, but be careful! I've already slayed dragons and all other manner of beasts. Ha." He grins again and fires a pair of finger guns at the camera. "What can I do for ya, Sweetie? I'm afraid no gossip is going to be better than just me."

"I'm sure . . . aha . . . " Blondie agrees, if only to keep the boy from trying to actively convince her. "I guess our first couple of questions should be about your break! Any exciting adventures over the last two weeks, and are you going to be streaming some of your daring feats like you mentioned last chapter?" she asks, maintaining the friendly host persona for the sake of whatever silly gossip he may have.

"Psh, yeah! I had the best break, it was wonderous! I was in Oz, right? Went with my dad and there was this big rift! Yeah, a rift between them and Neverland, so all these vicious Neverland creatures were swarming over, so me and my dad got rid of them. One of the Neverland mermaids was so smitten with me afterwards that she kidnapped me! Yeah, yeah, right I know, like whaaa? But she tried to take me to Neverland, and when I refused she, uh, turned into this big sea dragon! Yeah, and I had to fight her off to save the, uh, the coast side of Oz. But I caused a lot of destruction so to fix it up the wizard cast a spell, and it made everything as good as knew, but uh, unfortunately it seemed to have a small amnesiac effect on the members of Oz.”

Before Blondie can ask more questions, a feisty-looking girl with grey hair interrupts from her table. "That never even happened! I was in Oz all break and _none of that_ happened. The wiz wasn't even there, he and Oswell were supposed to be visiting the Eversnow Ski Village here in Ever After!" Irene Tinman challenges the tailor as she stands up from her seat and levels a deadpan stare at the fibber, twirling her fork between her fingers like a tiny weapon. 

Blondie gasps, delighted at the drama, and quickly looks to Titus for his rebuttal. "What contrasting claims!"

The co-host whistles and waves a hand at Irene. "How do you respond, Tailor? Whose claims can we really trust?" 

Even being put on the spot, Titus doesn't look too put out. "Like I said, amnesia. Obviously Oz had to give them some sort of fake memories, it'd be weird to have a blank 2 weeks!" he says with a laugh, obviously brushing off the Oz native.

Siegfried whistles again and turns his mic to Irene. "how can you make a rebuttal against his claims of false memories? Can you be so sure of them yourself?"

She doesn't look particularly put off or unsure of herself. Rather, the tin girl is now actively scowling. "I know what happened because other Oz drama went down, and if the Wiz was gonna give us false memories, it definitely wouldn't have been the good witch's and the wicked witch's daughters publicly admitting that they're dating!" the alpha declares with a cock of her hips. "So, why don't you weave that one into your story, Tailor? Or would you rather sew it onto your belt?" Irene smugly asks. 

Blondie gasps and quickly levels her look at Siegfried, a hand darting up to cover her mouth in surprise. "Wow, that's some claim! Maybe we should pull Irene into this properly, Siegfried?" she asks with a smile at her co-host. "Titus, do you have any proof of your own, maybe?"

Before the Squire can react properly, Titus is standing up, looking 'soooo over it.’ "Like I said, amnesia! Everyone knows that those two have been together, like please, yesterday's news. I'm sure you guys set this up for some fake drama. I'm out~!" he says, throwing up some made up hand signal, as he pushes past the crowd and even growls at a girl as she comes into the Castleteria. 

The girl in question squeals, and scurries over to Irene, slamming into her with a gentle poof of green smoke, then a small lion cub is left attached to Irene's face. 

The squire looks thoroughly confused, a first, before he offers the microphone again. "Why don't you set the record straight with. uh . . . your new friend?" 

"Nadine! Nadine Lion! Oh gosh, oh no!" Comes the squeaking reply from the lion trying to burrow in Tinman's hair.

Irene grabs her girlfriend and pulls the cub free of her hair, cuddling her protectively and rumbling to soothe her. "Get that microphone away from her! She's shy!" the tin girl orders defensively as she nuzzles the lion. "G and E weren't out, at home. It was a big deal for them, so I'm not dealing with some clothes-sewing dandyboy lying about what happened and saying that drama was just a cover up for his wacky adventure." 

With genuine surprise, Blondie edges closer as well, gesturing for Dexter and Humphrey to accommodate them leaving the frame. "Wow, that really is a _hexpecially_ tense situation! And, if you don't mind me asking, how do you two know each other?" she asks, not recalling a lion in any of her classes.

The lion hides her face in the crook of Irene's elbow, her tail wrapping around the tin girl's other arm. Eventually she peeks out. "Um. . . I’m the daughter of the Cowardly Lion! Ahck, sorry oh gosh, oh dear!" She hides her face again with a full-body shiver. 

Respectfully keeping his distance as asked, Siegfried nods. "The daughters of the Tinman and Cowardly Lion from Oz have disputed the claims of Titus' story, as well as giving us the information that Ever After's most magical, literally, couple are finally out to their mothers!" he exclaims, grinning. "Now Blondie, these good students have been waiting their turn, let’s let Miss Tinman head back to breakfast, eh?"

It takes a second before Blondie agrees - _so many questions!_ \- but she backs off and tucks her hair back with a smile. "Right you are, Siegfried! Thank you both for the information, it's been great talking with you." she magnanimously tells them before returning to the set they'd prepared. 

Irene harrumphs before sitting back down, still cradling her lion friend and slowly coaxing her back out with scraps of bacon. 

They don't really get a chance to regroup before an alpha is pushing his way towards them, towing an omega boy behind him. "C'mon, Marshall, it'll be fun! Trust me!" the feline boy tells the teen he’s tugging along as they work their way to Siegfried and Blondie. "Yeah, hi, we're next!"

Despite small disapproving noises, the omega being dragged along doesn’t fight his predicament. "You can try and get me to talk, but it's not happening, you get me? I'm not having this get back to her." the blond growls.

Blinking at yet another interruption to his plans (it makes him want to scream), Siegfried almost puts his foot down. But his scroll pops back up, and he nods at Blondie instead. "Well, how interesting is this? Can we at least get names or stories to help our viewers understand who they're listening to? If you don't want to talk, maybe you could convey your message a different way!"

"Oh, he's just being fussy. It's a real pain sometimes making him talk." the alpha admits with an eye roll. He grins, though, and shows off a set of rather sharp teeth. "Cooper Boots, son of Puss in Boots, at your service! Well, at his service, but yours, too." Cooper introduces himself with a flourish. He winks at the camera a moment later and tugs his victim forward, an arm wrapping around the omega's shoulder. 

Blondie seems more excited than she had been - being interrupted is not just right - when she realizes who the smaller boy is. "Marshall Miller? You're one of the only students that's never appeared in one of my MirrorCasts! Please, at least introduce yourself?" she asks with a sugary tone.

"She knows my _name!_ Cooper!" The omega finally starts fussing, trying to run, but the cat’s arm around him has him firmly placed. "Everything I've put together is going to be in jeopardy! Let. Me. Go!" he says, wiggling and practically in a headlock now. 

The darker haired omega laughs and gives an exaggerated shrug. "Marshall Miller, son of the Miller and future fraudulent prince! Thanks to your feline friend, is that right, Mr. Boots? That your story is to trick royalty?"

The cat keeps his story-mate captive, lifting him off the ground when it seems like he's going to keep trying to run. It's not much, but it's enough that his feet can't reach. "Please, Mr. Boots was my pops! Call me Cooper . . . I'll also accept Super Boots, Boots the Cutes, Fluffy THUN-DA, or Coop." the cat rattles off with a grin. "Master negotiator, and prince-maker extraordinaire! Nobody can get you into a royal family like Cooper Boots!" he answers without acknowledging his boyfriend's pleas.

"Please don't panic, I'm just excited to actually talk to you! Just answer some questions and I'll try not to be too invasive?" Blondie asks Marshall, trying to scuttle around the alpha to get a bit closer to her real target. "It'll be the interview of the chapter!"

Blondie must have some sort of luck as a boot just narrowly avoids her face and whiffs through her hair. That has the blond omega calming down at least. "Oh shit! Wait, you’re real? Like, the real Blondie locks? You’re not like the evil one, right?" he asks from half on top of the cat's shoulder. "I still don't want to answer anything! I don't want any bad luck!" 

"Well then, Mr. Super Boots, uh, any comment to help my colleague out? What's got your miller into such a twist? Breaking the MirrorNet with a huge story is good luck, not bad, this co-reporter says." Siegfried tries to reason with the seemingly sane part of the duo. "Also, that sounded a bit like a sales pitch, are you offering your expertises?"

"I offer just about every expertise I have to anyone up for payment or trades! Might as well polish my skills while I have the time, right?" Cooper counters with a wink. He sets Marshall down now that he's calmer and pats his shoulder. "Marshall just isn't a fan of putting stuff onto the MirrorNet . . . for privacy, you know? He's a bit high strung, too, but any pro alpha can help calm an omega down." the cat explains casually. 

Blondie gives him an odd look, but she isn't put off enough to not try the interview. "Um, nope! Definitely not evil, just normal Blondie Lockes! Is there anything you will answer for us? Like some basic facts about yourself or Cooper Boots that he's left out?" she asks, trying to coax him into answering.

The blond squints at Blondie for a moment. "I'll answer anything that doesn't pertain to me or Cooper. It's for our own safety, you know. I can't believe you're just letting all these people put themselves in danger like this! It's completely irresponsible . . . I mean . . . You have to know what you're doing, right?" Marshall asks suspiciously. 

Siegfried smiles, ignoring the drama unfolding with Blondie and Marshall. "Well folks, you heard it here. Cooper Boots is offering his conman services for possible payments or even trades! Now that has a chance to be a real deal! And he’s shown himself to be a wonderful Alpha as well. Just that amazing, eh? Now, Mr. Super Boots, what kind of prices can someone expect for these services?" Siegfried tries to press.

"Oh, you know. Theft, bribery, advanced wall climbing, lost item retrieval, assassinations, conflict mediation, messenger services, low-grade sexual favors, cooking . . . most labor activities. Nothing with dogs, though." Cooper lists off with a shrug and a pleased smile. It's hard to tell which of those might be serious or a joke. "Costs are directly relevant to the task at hand, of course." he clarifies after a short, but distinct, pause. 

With a frown, Blondie looks at her microphone and back at the Miller. "I wasn't aware that I was doing anything other than a MirrorCast. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just sharing school news with our classmates! For instance . . . did you hear any fun gossip over the break?" She wants to add _’since you're being completely unhelpful by refusing to answer my real questions’_ but resists the urge.

"Aw c'mon Blondie! Guy's a cracked cauldron!" 

"Yeah they weren't even in line! This isn't fair!"

Several more grumbled complaints come from the crowd, which then parts slightly at one side. A very attractive student that Blondie is sure she's never seen before, carrying a very fluffy bunny, is trying to sneak across one of the yellow taped lines. 

Meanwhile, Marshall is gasping in horror and grabbing onto Cooper. "Coop! Did you hear, did you? She doesn't even know what she's doing! I told you it's all the evil twin, we have to **go**!"

"Well those are all . . . interesting. But as our crowd is correct, I'm afraid that's probably all we can do for now!" the Squire says with a tight smile. Today is a harder task than most and it’s getting to him.

Cooper can see that Blondie definitely wants them gone and picks Marshall back up. "Works for me. Have fun with the 'Cast, you two!" the cat tells them, seeming sincere in his well-wishing as he carries Marshall off towards a table. 

The blonde journalist is already SO over the pair as she hurries to cut off the handsome new boy. "Well, hello there! You've just stepped into the set of the school's most popular MirrorCast, _Just Right!_ You're a new face here at Ever After High, aren't you? Why not introduce yourself to the school - and your adorable little bunbun, too!" she excitedly encourages. 

From his spot in Alistair's hands, Bunny is frozen in surprise. He glances up at the girl with wide eyes as she pushes the microphone close enough to pick up whatever the omega boy might say, and can see movement as a brunet boy holding a tablet turns to . . . film? . . . them.

The squire shrugs at the crowd and most of them roll their eyes and disperse, used to Blondie's antics. Some stay, mostly to keep watching the drama unfold. 

Taking a step back from the excited female, Alistair holds onto Bunny a little tighter. "Hi? Yeah, um, I’m new? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I thought that was a line for food, I have to get breakfast for my friends. So, um, if I could just . . . " He tries to sidestep Blondie, but someone suddenly running past the crowd has him jumping back again and awkwardly laughing.

"Just a couple of questions answered and I can help you get to the front of the breakfast line, if you like!" she offers as a bribe, gesturing at the rather annoyingly long line for food. It doesn't help that a lot of the crowd had just gotten in line for that, now that they aren't watching the show being recorded. "You know, normal stuff. Name, story, a few little tidbits about yourself?" 

Bunny's nose twitches in annoyance as he finally speaks up. "It doesn't really seem fair to move us up in line if we answer your questions . . . but . . . " He looks up at Alistair and wiggles before jumping down to the ground and changing back to normal. "We are running a bit behind schedule, so maybe we should." the alpha adds as he adjusts his fur ruff and pats his skirts into place neatly.

Alistair nods and shrugs, "We are kinda late since we got confused um . . . This is Bunny Blanc and I'm Alistair W-- um Liddel. Alistair Liddel. Uh, I'm 16, Bunny's 15, and we aren't really anyone important, but, uh . . . anything else?" He bites his lip, and shrugs at Blondie’s expectant look. "Uh, I like to solve riddles. I'm not sure what you're really looking for? But, uh, if it's not too much do you mind taking a step back? I get kinda stressed easily." he finishes with another awkward chuckle. 

The interviewer is obviously surprised that the rabbit transformed into a person and does back up a few steps as requested. "Oh! Wow, don't I have egg on my face, I didn't realize you were both students! You've really got to tell me more about yourselves - are you from the same story? Any fun hobbies?" Blondie asks with a flourish of her hand. 

Siegfried has seemingly disappeared, and with a sigh, Humphrey shrugs at Dexter before picking up the papers the squire was going off. He walks up to Blondie, interrupting the questions. "Sieg left, but I'll help the rest of the interviews." he assures the journalist with a sniff, pushing his glasses up.

She glances at Humphrey and clears her throat with a nod. "Right, thanks, Humphrey! And, sorry. It's just an expression." 

Bunny leans a bit closer to Humphrey, curious about what his papers are for, but straightens up as Blondie talks to the boy in glasses. "Um, like Alistair said, my name's Bunny . . . I guess I like parties? And carrots! I'm not sure what sort of things you'd be interested in . . . " he adds with a shy smile.

The bespectacled blond gives her a sidelong look and sighs. "Anything, really. You’re new students and that doesn't happen often at EAH. If we're being too pushy, sorry, but we're always excited to meet new stories. Just say whatever you would want someone to know about you." he offers to hopefully soothe the two. 

Visibly relaxing, Alistair nods. "Uh, well I guess we're in the same one? I'm not really sure which story I follow or both considering . . . I never really thought about it. Buns, what do you think? Are we part of the same one? Does it count since I grew up with you?" he asks, genuinely looking a little stumped.

Bunny bumps Alistair and smiles. "Of course we're in the same story! Even if we weren't, I'd probably end up following you into yours at some point. Rabbits are pretty popular animals, you know!" he reminds the omega. The shorter boy looks back at Blondie and tucks his hair back. "Aside from that, we're not very interesting . . . " There's a murmur to one side of the set as some of the students have taken more notice of Alistair and Bunny, slowly trickling back toward the crowd still watching.

"I'm sure you're plenty interesting! Tell me, are either of you dating anyone? -standard question for most of our interviewees around here, don't worry." Blondie is quick to reassure them both, admittedly a bit pink in the cheeks as she glances particularly at Alistair.

"Oh. Um." Alistair rubs the back of his head and gnaws at his bottom lip. "Uh n-no no relationships, not for a while. Sorry. Um h-how many more questions? We already accidentally wasted so much time, and we really should be grabbing something and heading back before our friends come looking. You get it right?" Alistair says with a laugh, "We really don't do much, just the occasional treasure hunt, but not like real treasure, just like . . . going on an adventure." he says, eyes darting to the slowly encroaching crowd with a nervous gaze, and grabbing Bunny's hand. 

With a snort, Humphrey glances at their hands, the obviously uncomfortable blond, and then the crowd. He sighs loudly, rolling his eyes. "Fairest and Heroes, please keep behind the lines. Take a seat if you're just watching. If you'd like an opportunity on the show, please move back over there into the line." he says, trying to direct some traffic around the group. "Headmaster Grimm will be on our ass if we block up the whole Castleteria."

With a squeeze to Alistair's hand, Bunny inches closer to him as well. "Dating hasn't really been on my mind, either. Never actually been in a r-relationship before." he admits with a nervous laugh. "I think we should get going, like Alistair said, people are waiting on us!" 

Blondie frowns - pouts, really - and reaches into a pocket on her dress. "Only one last question, I promise!" She pulls out a business card with a lock and a bow embossed on it, with her contact information. "Would you do a follow up interview? Maybe over lunch, sometime?" she asks, getting to the point rather quickly with Alistair.

A new hand cuts between them, and in the same motion Alistair is picked up into the arms of what looks like a very soft faced, attractive Alpha. "Hi, sorry. I'm going to have to take these two with me, they've been taking quite a while. Sorry." the black and red haired boy says before scooping Bunny up in his other arm, Kitty Cheshire appearing on his shoulder, sitting pretty. 

The full-haired blond nods and shrugs from the larger boy’s arms. "Sorry! Chase is here, so we have to go. But uh, I guess you can interview us some other time?" he says casually as if he didn't just get scooped, and as if he doesn't have to dangle over an arm to grab the card out of Blondie's hand.

Bunny gives a little wave towards the camera as he's also scooped, seeming to take to being carried easily. "I'm sure we'll both look forward to seeing you, Blondie." the tiny alpha tells her, stealing the business card after Alistair gets it. 

"What- uh- hello! I- yes?" Blondie answers, admittedly stumbling over her words in surprise at this new boy's appearance. "Aha, I guess that's it for this interview, folks! Let's all give Bunny, Alistair and Chase a really warm Ever After High welcome if we see them!" she adds, trying to recover the 'cast. 

There's a giggle from Kitty as she waves at the recording tablet. "Ooh, I'll be able to watch all of this back later? Fuuun! There aren't nearly enough Wonderlandian students on this show, normally!" she giggles, unknowingly outing their stories. "Let's go, Chase! We've got some ground to cover!" Kitty urges excitedly.

Though there's a sudden excited and confused outcry from the surrounding students, Alistair and Bunny are safely tucked into Chase's arms. With Kitty's 'teleportation' skill and Chase's general physique, they’re able to walk through the crowd and out the doors rather quickly and safely. Humphrey pushes up his glasses and glances at Blondie. "So uh . . . You missed the new Wonderlandians . . . That's a shame. Ok _Next!_ " he calls over to the people still in line, the show must go on after all.

**((At a café in Bookend. 1:35pm))**

Taking a long sip of his new fruit juice, Briar glances at his bffa over his pink sunglasses, "Hey Apps. Can I ask you something? Have . . . have the princes seemed a bit weird to you? Like . . . I don't know, it just seems like they've been off? Maybe I just never noticed how much they stare until I started dating, I don't know . . . " he says with a sigh, eating a fry with a chomp.

Apple tilts her head slightly, curls bobbing with the motion as she considers her friend's question. "I don't think I've noticed any big changes?" she says though it comes out as a question more than a statement. The blonde laughs quietly as she sips at her latte. "Then again, I haven't talked to everyone yet, so I guess there could be some changes. I was tied up with Headmaster Grimm most of the morning! Do you think it's because you're with Magnus?"

The (mostly) brunet sigh and shrugs. "Maybe? I mean . . . I told him I'd rather be discreet . . . but he kinda seems like the bragging type, huh? At least as long as I've known him . . . Guess I'm just pixienoid about it considering . . . ." - he waves his hand in a circle - "everything else, you know?" Briar sighs again, poking at his food and tapping his foot. "I'm anxious, I guess. Feels like everyone is staring, more than normal at least. It's probably nothing." he says, more to convince himself than Apple, really.

"I don't think Magnus would brag about things too much if you asked him not to . . . and besides, maybe you're just nervous about the possible . . . situation?" Apple hazards a guess, her voice staying soft so nobody overhears her. "Which is totally, like, understandable! But I don't think anyone's staring, Briar. I'd definitely tell you if they were." she reassures the anxious brunette boy, hand clasping his across the table.

"Aw, Apps, you're the best. Thanks for letting me whine." he says, obviously cheered up from just that. "So speaking about what you'll be telling . . . What did Grimm need your attention for so desperately? Please tell me he's retiring or something. Getting run out of the realm?" he keeps guessing with a laugh, letting his distaste for the elderly alpha leak into his tone.

The princess perks up and looks astoundingly excited as she happily wiggles her arms and by extension, Briar's hand as well. "Oh my fairest, Briar, it was amazing news! I'm not even supposed to share it but . . . oh, hex, I can't keep it entirely to myself!" Apple glances from side to side as she leans in closer. "The Storybook of Legends is back! The **real** one! We can finally fix this whole big destiny mess!"

Somehow the smile stays on his face, even as Briar feels himself crack under the news. "Oh really? Are we sure it's the real one this time? Haha . . . I mean wouldn't it have been a big thing if someone found it?" he asks, hoping his voice is steady, or that any cracks in it would be taken for excitement. "Does Raven know yet?" Briar grins, hoping it's not a grimace. "I mean are you guys just going to force her to sign? And everyone who has . . . are they re-signing?"

Apple shakes her head, giggling in excitement and missing Briar's distress. "Headmaster Grimm is announcing it later - apparently, it was found during the school break. I haven't told anyone but you so far." she admits giddily. "Of course everyone can re-sign, and I'm sure that Raven will be willing to sign once she knows it's the real book, now. I'll talk it through with her and it'll be fine. Aren't you just . . . just _so hexcited?_ " Apple adds, obviously looking to her bffa to agree with her enthusiasm.

"Oh! Yeah . . . totally . . . !" he says, faking his excitement, obvious probably only to those who are looking hard enough. "I'm so . . . glad! And you’re so hexcited! You really are adorable when you're this bubbly. So, let me guess, after orientation there's gonna be a huge announcement about it, and we'll all have to do Legacy Day practice again?" He says with a chuckle, stuff a few fries in his mouth, rather un-princess like, but effective for distracting himself.

Nodding, the blonde girl quietly squeals. "It'll be just like that! You're so good at guessing, Briar! It'll be the most fablesse announcement in years, and we'll all get the chance to really sign. I can't wait to do it - again! We can all have a huge celebration afterwards. The best party in chapters, the biggest one since our moms were in school, even!" she tells him. "You'll help me plan, right? Nobody can plan a party like you can!"

He gives a tight smile, "Of course Apple, if everything goes just right! I'll be sure to help you plan. I mean it'll be like . . . the last party I’ll get to go to, so I gotta make sure it's the biggest bash in the kingdom, yeah?" he says with a small nod, copying Blondie's phrase for emphasis. His next comment is cut off a bit by someone pulling the chair to his left, Apple's right, out. 

With a charming grin, Allegro sits down at their table with just a coffee in hand. "Hey girls, fabulous break, I hope! What party are we planning? Already hoping for the bachelorette party for Apple and Daring?" the DJ says with a grin and an eyebrow raised at the blonde. "Hope the little prince really makes you happy."

Apple seems to jump a bit at the new addition but quickly relaxes when she realizes who it is. "Allegro! How was your break? I didn't see a single InstaGlam post!" she asks, happy at seeing the handsome pianist. "And no, we aren't planning that yet, you silly. Not until after graduation, at least. It's, um- a surprise party!" she lies . . . well, half lies. 'It **IS** a surprise, after all!' 

"Everyone loves a good surprise party! Person or occasion?" another voice cuts in as Ash Ella pulls a chair up on the opposite side from Allegro. The alpha has a chai tea in his hands as he leans over the table with a smile. "I've got to say, I was surprised to hear that our school's golden couple was together this year. Briar, did you know before I did?" she asks, faux-suspicious of the other princess.

The princess gives Allegro a look that the omega matches with a grin, and the narcoleptic teen huffs. "Kinda yeah, sorry. I found out just before break. I'm more curious how you found out! I thought Apple had a big announcement ready to go." he says with a chuckle and a glance at the fairer princess. "And, uh, occasion. But we aren't saying any more!"

"Ah, sorry Apple, I was pretty busy over break. My dad had me doing some extra flute lessons up at our practice hall in the winter lands? Also did a lot of skiing. You should come by sometime." the musician says with a grin, almost as dazzling as Daring's. "So, talking about couples, when did Briar hook Magnus?"

There's a beat before Apple seems to compose herself, laughing nervously at Ash bringing up her relationship with Daring. "How'd you know about that, Ash? I can understand Allegro since they're friends . . . and Allegro, you know about Magnus, too? You just know all the latest news!" 

Ash shoots a sympathetic glance at both of his friends before he takes a sip of his tea. "Guys . . . Cedar went on the MirrorCast this morning with Blondie. She ratted _both_ of you out to the whole school." she tells them, anticipating a negative reaction already.

Briar blinks, before blushing, "How did Cedar know? Of fantastic fairydust, no wonder people have been staring." he groans, barely glaring at Allegro who snorts. "Ugh, I'm going to have to watch that now, see what else got spilled." He sits there for a second as Allegro quickly sips his coffee and Ash glances away, "Oh no . . . What else was said?!" Briar almost squeaks, already whipping out his phone. 

The musical teen clears his throat. "Well Apple, that's how. Honestly, I'm a little surprised you’d think that I'm close enough with the Charming twins to know who they're dating, it's kinda . . . cute." he says with a chuckle and grin. "But really, I just found out about Magnus from the prince chat. He was . . . gushing about what a great break he had." He subtly stretches the truth, hoping it'll pass unnoticed.

"Um. Cedar didn't say anything else, but your roommate mentioned he thought you were doing extra credit? Because of the . . . potions . . . in your room.” Ash quietly tells the worried omega boy, cheeks tinged pink. "I'm sure it really IS extra credit!" he's quick to tell the other princess. Apple looks confused at the mention of the prince chat before her face abruptly turns red and her hands shoot out. A surprisingly firm grip locks onto the dj's jacket as the princess tugs him closer with narrowed eyes. "Phone. _**NOW** _." she demands.

Briar barely gets to freak out, though the rapidly developing blush on his face and suspiciously watery eyes are a good showing that he wants to. Allegro has the decency to squeak as he's yanked forward and puts his hands up, a small blush on his cheeks. "I can, and I'd be happy to help you, but you're not going to find what you want. Your little princey already got rid of everything and is trying to suspend him, so, y'know, honor defended and all that." he says reassuringly before he tugs his phone out of his pocket and hands it over. 

Glancing between her best friend and Allegro, Briar sniffles a little and shakes her head. "Drop it Apple, I know Magnus likes to _'brag.'_ I just thought maybe he'd be a little better this time . . . it's not worth stirring anything up! And Allegro said Daring already took care of . . . whatever it was."

It's not long - in reality, only seconds - before Ash is leaning in and wrapping his arms around Briar comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Bri. I'm not sure what exactly he's done, but if Magnus messes with you, he is so going through me . . . AND Hunter!" the alpha tells his friend sincerely despite sounding near tears himself over how upset Briar is. 

The blonde princess takes the phone anyway, dropping her grip on Allegro to fervently search it for whichever chat is the right one. It isn't hard, and she's scrolling through it quickly once it's open. "You _knew_ about this and didn't say anything, Allegro?" she asks, tone sounding oddly calm considering how flushed her cheeks still look with anger.

The brunet sighs and huddles close to Ash - the other princess is the only one that's kinda in the same boat as him. "I'm pretty sure all of you, including Apple, would have to get behind Hopper if he finds out. Ehehe." he jokes, trying to lighten the mood and wincing as it falls flat. "Really though, I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad . . . unless Allegro wants to enlighten us?" Briar asks, voice a little strained, glaring at the younger male. 

Piper seems to steel himself. "I didn't have my phone over break, and I didn't get a good signal up in the mountains. I only saw what was going down this morning when Daring started the vote because that alerted everyone even if notifications were turned off, which is how I normally keep it because guys post _constantly._ " he says, defending himself, before turning slightly to Ash and Briar. "Really, you all should be asking why Hunter, Hopper, or even Daring himself - Dexter even - didn't say anything to any of you. I mean, they're dating and, well . . . obsessed with you girls, and if anyone should have told you what it _really_ was, it should have been them."

"We'll hold Hopper back so he doesn't become a smear on a locker. Grimm knows that he will once he knows about this." Ash agrees, petting the boy's hair comfortingly. "I can't believe Hunter didn't tell me, though . . . we tell each other _everything . . ._ " 

Apple cuts in, her mouth pressed into a firm frown. "Hopper isn't in this chat. He was removed at some point yesterday. Hunter IS still here along with Daring and Dexter." She finds what she's looking for as her hands briefly shake and she reads through the comments for context. Apple actively glares at the phone screen as she starts _typing._

_PlayingPiper has changed their nickname to BadNewsForYou_

_BadNewsForYou has voted in favor of kicking Madness_

_BadNewsForYou: You are all SO cursed. Hang onto your skirts, because your laundry is getting AIRED._

Just as the chat blows up with responses mostly similar to _"OH shit Allegro's been had! Run, Run away!"_

Allegro reaches for the phone, but hesitates in just snatching it. "Apple, what did you write? We have no idea what was actually happening, Magnus is . . . well kinda a friend, I wouldn't want to kick him _permanently!_ Can I have my phone back?" he asks, trying to keep his voice calm, but looking a mix between nervous and angry. 

"Well, thank goodness for Hopper then . . . and, um, no worries, Ash? Maybe he didn't know what happened either. Or was trying to think of how to bring it up?" Briar tries to offer helpfully, hoping that Ash's love life wasn't as in jeopardy as his own seemed to be. The chat, after only a few responses to Apple's comment, goes deathly still as if everyone just suddenly logged off.

"Not yet. You have bad taste." Apple snaps as she briefly types some more.

_BadNewsForYou has changed their nickname to PiperGotPlayed_

She sets the mirrorphone down in front of him and crosses her legs angrily, foot bobbing as she considers what they're going to do about this. "There were either pictures or messages deleted, Briar. Since Daring deleted thousands of pics it's a possibility that Magnus posted some." 

Ash's eyes widen at the suggestion and catches himself wondering if there were pictures of him in there. It's a sickening thought to have, wavering in his trust for Hunter on a level that he hasn't dealt with since he questioned their destinies.

Standing with a small smack on the table, Briar shakes his head. "I want to go back to my room now. And I want a damn fucking different roommate!" he shouts, his anger misplaced in many ways. Briar knocks over his chair as he gets up, not even bothering to pick it up as he stomps out of the café, not particularly caring about his friends. He's sure they'd follow him. 

As the other princesses go to rush after their friend, Allegro does manage to tug on Ash's sleeve before he goes. "Ash, look, I don't know Hunter well, but I doubt the kid had any idea what was happening. I think I've seen him post in here a grand total of 4 times since he _started._ Any pictures he posted are sadly gone now, but were mostly smoopy-cute date pics and him ranting about how much he loved you once, drunk, at like 2 in the morning, before you two were even dating. Okay? Be mad at me . . . or anyone else, but not him okay?"

Even if he doesn't look _happy_ with the explanation from Allegro, Ash looks a little less like his world is ending as he nods and pulls away from the musician to follow his friends. It's only once he’s caught up to the group and is heading up to the castle with the princesses, together, that Ash wraps his arm in Briar's again. Worried for his own relationship or not, he wants to support the brunette. 

"We'll get you switched around. Maybe we can even find a way for you to room with me and Hu- uh, with me and my shoe collection." Apple's lips are pursed but she can't just ignore what's going on. Not when her bffas and the other princesses and maidens might be at risk. "I can't believe Daring never said anything. Or Dexter! He's usually so sweet, but - maybe he isn't so sweet after all. Once we deal with Magnus and the other boys, I need to make sure that we tell Raven about this whole mess!" she says, her own anger fueling her plans.

Leaning into Ash as much as he dares, Briar gives Apple a whine. "Seriously, App. We don't have all the details, and even Allegro doesn't know what really happened, so . . . maybe we should talk to them first?" he tries to suggest, reluctant to believe his first boyfriend would do this without an explanation. And especially when _most_ if not all males at the school are part of it . . . It can't _really_ be that bad, can it? 

A little farther up the path they hear a whistle, and Hunter yelling, "Ash! Ash, oh baby you've got to see this! And-- Huh? Oh shi--oot. Shoot, did something happen to Briar?" the lovable but tactless huntsman calls out, before finally catching up to them.

"Hunter! You- you need to explain a few things! Please." Ash tells him as he gets closer, having to hold himself together now that he's in front of his boyfriend. "You're in the boys' group chat, aren't you? Did you _know_ what they were doing to maidens and princesses and say nothing? Why wouldn't you tell me? I- I didn't end up in that chat too, did I?!" the brunette asks, bordering on tears. 

Wrapping an arm around Briar briefly, Apple squeezes her friend and steps forward to put her arm between Ash and Hunter. "Don't get any closer unless you have a _good_ explanation, Hunter! I've just seen that chat for myself and I have _**a lot** _ of words about what happened in there!"

The huntsman slows down to a stop and tilts his head before taking out his phone, and scrolling through it. "What's wrong with it? Seems normal, I mean, Daring is trying to kick Magnus out again, but that happens every other week. Um . . . ." He keeps scrolling for a few moments, continuing, "Uh . . . Daring is trying to police things better, it got out of hand for a little bit, and well, mostly guys are pissed, but we call each other names like that a lot . . . I mean I know it's a little _vulgar_ but nothing much different than a normal group of guys." He seems nervous, and starts bouncing on his heels. Hunter glances back up at the trio, frowning. ". . . I mostly use it to post nature shots, or ask if anyone wants to hang . . . I have it on mute most of the time. What happened with maidens or princesses?" he asks, looking genuinely worried and confused.

The bright blonde looks furious still, but she seems like she's more likely to listen at least. "The maidens, Hunter! The pictures that boys were posting of them after they-" Apple's face turns bright red as she shakes her head. "After they did _private things_ together, some of the boys posted _pictures_ in the chat. The kind of pictures you shouldn't be sharing with anyone!" she explains awkwardly. 

Ash at least looks relieved and pushes past Apple to hug Hunter. "So you- you don't know about the gross messages and pictures? You didn't ever post any of me after we _did_ stuff?" he asks, just so he can hear Hunter say it. It might steel his nerves to get the word straight from Hunter.

Gasping, Hunter picks Ash up and spins him slightly, “The only picture I've ever shared of you was the anniversary one? With the white shoes? I post it a lot though . . . Whenever I'm sentimental of us. But nooo," he turns to Apple, "I never knew that happened! I mean, well, that's a lie, sometimes there was a pic or two I saw, and I immediately asked if the girl is or was giving permission, and they've always said yes! So I kinda left it alone . . . I shouldn't have, and I'll do better to help Daring make it stop. All videos and pictures have to get approved of him first now. And, well, I definitely don't approve of all the vulgar stuff, but I feel hypocritical because, as Ash can testify, I get like that on occasion too . . . I'm not proud but I'm not gonna deny it."

Ash tucks his face into Hunter's shoulder and sniffles rather ungracefully as he realizes there's no way his Huntsman could possibly be lying _this_ well. "I'm sorry I doubted you. We just- we just found out that Magnus was saying things he wasn't supposed to, and Allegro said that you were in the chat too but didn't say anything, and I- I panicked." the alpha admits. 

"I'm glad you weren't involved, Hunter. At least, not directly. Though I can't see anyone giving their _permission_ for that . . . " Apple admits, voice dropping to a mutter on the last sentence. "But that doesn't fix the problem that others may have been hurt by this. I'm finding Daring and we're finding Magnus before anything else comes from this!"

The huntsman shakes his head. "Well, that'll be easy! It's what I was coming to show you! One of the Charmings knocked him flat! Had to send him to the pixie nurse, it's all on video!" he says, pulling his phone out again and pulling up the video. "I warn you about the language but, uh . . . here. If you want to watch." Hunter mutters, holding his phone out. Briar snatches the phone and presses play with a heavy sniff.

_The shaky camera footage starts part way through a sentence as Magnus storms up to Daring in the castleteria. He looks frustrated, shoulders straight as he cuts his way through the room. Daring's standing with a girl and talking to her. "Charming, we need to talk!" Magnus calls to him, hand gesturing in a wave. "Now. This vote is ridiculous, I can't believe you'd kick me over a couple harmless pictures!"_

_Daring's voice is too muffled to make out his answer, but the girl's voice is much clearer since she's not trying to keep calm. "I think that maybe you should consider the fact that you get what you deserve. If you get voted out, that's your problem, isn't it?" There's more muffled talking and, unfortunately, obvious arguing. Even worse, the three Billy goats gruff come storming though, bleating and tugging a bunch of balloons behind them with the school colors._

_There's an audible gasp and a sound like a smack - or maybe a punch - and when the camera focuses on the trio again, the girl is curled into Daring's arms and they're walking away. Magnus is on the ground, Titus Tailor running up and kneeling beside him. He doesn't move again before the person recording gasps. "Holy hex, he's out cold!"_

The video abruptly ends there, and Apple inhales sharply, eyes a bit misty. "Daring actually got in a fight with Magnus over this?" she asks, clearly impressed that her prince fought for maidens even against a friend.

Briar snorts, and shakes his head. "Yeah maybe, but probably Darling smacked his ass out. And you know what? The first fucking face he'll see in the infirmary will be this one! And I'm gonna set him straight." he says with a small growl, handing the phone back to Hunter, though the brunet barely seemed to notice, still petting Ash and whispering to him. Briar rolls his eyes and turns to Apple, giving her a hug.

"Thanks Apple, really . . . It's kinda hot seeing you this worked up, haha. But I don't want you worrying about this, okay? I want to talk to Magnus first, since we don't know what's really happening. So I . . . I kinda want to confront him alone right now, okay?" Meanwhile, Hunter stuffs his phone in his pocket on reflex, still fussing over Ash. "Hey baby, it's ok, it's ok, you had the right to panic! I'm just glad you trusted me enough to ask first! Thank you~" he rumbles, hoping to sooth the princess.

Apple still looks tearfully impressed at what she's pretty sure was her boyfriend defending her friend, but doesn't argue with Briar outright that a princess isn't going to just knock out a guy. She does seem a bit skeptical at letting Briar go alone though. "Are you sure you don't want someone there for support? I could stay totally quiet and just . . . just be there if you need a hug!" Apple suggests with a hand on Briar's arm. "I can't believe I even doubted you! You've always been amazin', you'd never do that to me! You- you aren't even mad." Ash sniffles, rumbling back after a moment to start reassuring Hunter that he'll be okay. "I love you so much . . . "

The brunet does seem to consider the option from his best friend but ultimately shakes his head. "You can walk with me back to the castle, but no, Apps. I want . . . need to do this alone. Stand on my own, you know?" Briar asks with a small laugh and a shrug.

Nodding, Apple offers a supportive smile and twines her arm with Briar's for the walk back to school. "Okay. I'll always be here to talk afterwards if you need, anyway." she states as they start their walk. It takes a while - walking back to the castle always seems like it's longer than the trip to Bookend - and they separate in the hallway so Briar can go confront Magnus on his own.

****Later****

Magnus is the only one in the infirmary at that moment, a nurse pixie hovering around his bruised cheek and eye as he scowls. Being looked after doesn't seem to suit him. "I told you already that I'm fine, let me leave." he growls at the nurse who just glares at his insistence.

There's a soft knock on the door before Briar opens it. He quietly asks the nurse pixie to give them a few minutes before taking a seat next to the bed. "How bad is it, Mag? And I'm not talking about your face. I'm talking about you apparently being a knotheaded dick. How many were there?" he asks, arms folded over his chest, a visible mix between angry and ready to cry. Somehow, thankfully his voice is calm, steady.

The alpha is at least smart enough to know a shitstorm when he sees it rolling in and he frowns, not sure of the exact cause. Magnus pulls as much confusion as he can and sits up a bit straighter. "How many what, babe? Look, if this has something to do with the fight, I wasn't even planning for it to get physical. I just wanted to give him a piece of my mind over some prince drama."

"Don't call me that, not right now. I saw the chat," Briar lies easily, ''and I guess I'm lucky it was after, oh, how many pictures, Magnus?" he demands with a small growl, sounding more upset and hurt than angry. "Why would you think that was cool? I know you brag, that's why I told you I wasn't comfortable with it getting out yet. And then you went after Daring over this? Really?" He scoffs, trying to keep himself together.

 _'Fuck my life, what fuckup lost their phone?_ ' Magnus rubs the back of his neck, ducking his head down so it's harder to see his eyes. "I- shit, Briar, I didn't post more than a couple pictures in that chat. Most of what I did post wasn't even of you! I just fucked up during break." the alpha lies, glancing up at the brunette. 'He didn't see it before things were deleted. I can manage this.' Magnus tries to reach out and gently pet the omega's arm in an affectionate gesture. "I forgot the promise and you just looked so damn cute all snuggled up asleep . . . so I posted a pic. Didn't think they'd jump to the . . . right . . . conclusion so fast." he lies.

That seems to take Briar back a bit, the wind from his sails. "You . . . wait, this is just because you posted us . . . " he blushes, "afterwards, and some of the guys got nasty so Daring had to step in? I mean . . . I never really thought of Daring as . . . well . . . prudish, but maybe he's trying to think like Apple? I mean, she was pissed." He bites his lip, at a loss now that it seems like it was all a misunderstanding. "Before you get off the hook, you have to show me everything you posted."

" . . . it probably doesn't help that Daring and I haven't actually gotten along since his first year. It's not his first time trying to kick me out. He's really bitter about the whole thing." Magnus mentions, hoping he'll gain some ground now that Briar is already doubting. It's a quick couple of taps to start selecting pictures he would want Briar to find. "Do you wanna just see the picture I posted of ya, or the whole chat? It gets kinda . . . messy in there, as you already saw." Magnus continues, keeping the princess talking as his photos are erased. 'Just in case. Can't hurt.'

The brunet nods and picks at his fingernails. "What you did with other girls is not my concern. It obviously wasn't bad like this . . . misunderstanding has been." he admits, biting his lip again as he goes over possibilities in his head. It made sense for this to just be a prince dispute and a misunderstanding. It was easier than accepting the alternative. "I want to see every picture of me that ended up in that chat. Please be honest . . . Okay?" Briar asks, worrying his lip between his teeth.

Nodding, Magnus pulls up three pictures that he'd deemed inoffensive enough to be reasonable. "These few. After they already guessed we were together, I . . . I got carried away." Magnus lies, passing his phone over. "That one and the next two. Then they all started making those jokes about why we were spending time together . . . I shoulda told ya, babe, I just didn't want to disappoint you." the alpha croons, voice soft.

The first picture is one of Briar curled up and apparently asleep - or, maybe more accurately, passed out after a round. Regardless, his cheeks are attractively flushed but there's nothing actively risque about it aside from him being obviously shirtless under the cover.

Up next in his pictures is a photo of the princess again, this time clothed and wearing his own pants and what clearly could be Magnus's too-big-for-Briar shirt in the kitchen. ( _Thankfully he'd left his comment in a separate chat message instead of writing on the image itself with editing- "Surprised he can walk after that last knot. Even making me a sandwich, lol!"_ ) 

Finally is the picture that Briar had willingly posed for, halfway through stripping off his shirt. ( _The comment HAD been written on this one - "Desperate for it!" - but he'd saved them separately and managed to delete the edited one._ )

Tension is obviously released when Briar looks over the pictures, zooming in and studying them before handing the phone back. "I’m . . . sorry. Just, I've known you when we were only party buddies . . . I should've trusted you before assuming the worst . . . " he admits shamefully, "and I want to apologies for Daring and Apple, because I'm sure they won't. Apple stole Allegro's phone and voted to kick you . . . so don't get mad at him, okay? And I’ll- I'll fix this. Thank you, for showing me what this was all about." the princess says, grabbing onto Magnus' hand and rubbing it with his thumb, unable to properly meet the older male's eyes.

"I'm a different guy now. Look, I'll admit I was a shit before. But I'm not going to start running around and fucking this up." Magnus tells Briar, crooning again and adding a rumble for extra measure. _'Who knew it'd be this easy to butter him up. Score one for Mag.'_ He tugs lightly at the hand in his and leans closer to nuzzle the omega. "Now, how bout you stop being so gloomy, huh? You can't fix my issues with Daring, but the other guys won't let me get kicked, anyway. You don't gotta fix Apple White's problems or her boytoy's." Magnus tells him with a grin.

Purring back slightly, the omega princess nods, nuzzling Magnus back. "Right . . . I'm just so used to apologising for her black and white view on everything . . . But I'll at least convince her not to go to HeadBitch Grimm about the chat. It wouldn't be fair . . . " He finally meets the Alpha's eyes and smiles, before 'tutting' and gently placing a hand on his bruised cheek. "My poor Alpha, did you ice it yet?"

Scoffing, Magnus nips lightly at the smaller boy's palm. "Ice it? Please. It doesn't even hurt. I've had worse from class before." The alpha smirks at his boyfriend as his eyes light up briefly. "Maybe you could kiss it better, though? Speed up the healing process." he suggests with a raised eyebrow. "I hear a kiss from a princess can fix most problems."

Briar chuckles slightly, and after glancing around for the nurse pixie, sits up on the bed too. He takes Magnus' head in his hands gently and chuckles, places kisses all down the side of his face, leading up to just plain kissing him. He pulls back with a blush and a sheepish look. "Want me to stick around until they let you go?"

Magnus rumbles approvingly at the kiss and chuckles himself at the way Briar's acting. "Better yet, let's just bust me out of here now. It's a bruise, I'll survive." the alpha assures his boyfriend as he looks for the pixie as well. "Coast is clear now, if we wanna sneak outta here."

The princess is a little skeptical before nodding. "Fine. But if you start getting a headache or something, tell me?" he asks, practically pouting. Briar grabs his (somehow still) boyfriend's hands and hops off the bed, gently dragging Magnus with him, and with a laugh he leads him out of the nurse's office.

_*~*~* Meanwhile *~*~*_

The blonde princess only waits until her friend is out of sight before she sets off down the halls again. A few quick questions to passing students directs her to her target, and Apple spots Daring still with his sister. "Daring! Daring, I really need to talk to you. It's important, and no, it can't wait." she hurries to say, cutting off his conversation. 

It earns her an odd look from Darling, at least. "That's . . . abrupt. I get the feeling that this isn't a talk I'm supposed to be part of." the alpha girl mumbles as she adjusts the bandage on her knuckles.

Stifling a heavy sigh, Daring hands Darling her ice pack and nods. "Keep that on your hand. Go find Dexter and wait in our room for me - the three of us still have things to talk about." Daring says, giving his sister a long-suffering look. Finally he turns to Apple and smiles gently, pushing his emotions down.  
"Apple? Look, I'm sorry we got in a disagreement with Magnus, it's getting sorted as quickly as it can, okay?" he tries to pacify her, hoping it’s the problem she’s worried about. "Or is something else bothering you, princess, that I can help with?"

Darling sighs but nods, taking the ice pack and making her way out of the room, resigned to hunting Dexter down. _'This will be something I'm sure.'_

"The chat is what's bothering me, Daring! I didn't see any of the pictures but I did see some of the comments they've inspired. I- I didn't even think you were capable of hiding something so awful from me!" Apple explains, voice revealing how sad she is behind her anger. "I'm fine with you fighting Magnus, since he posted pictures of Briar when he wasn't even supposed to tell people they were dating, but I can't believe you ever allowed pictures in the first place! How did this all get started?" she continues, grabbing his sleeve.

"Allowed? I did not allow anything Apple, until just a few hours ago. I'm working on fixing it. But we probably are just gonna have to do something else, because no one is gonna be comfortable if you know of the chat's existence . . . " He sighs, and glances down at the hand tangled in his sleeve. "I'm sorry it upset you, but I didn't tell you about it for a reason Apple. I'm sorry about Briar, that's what I'm trying to fix, and I was trying to do it discreetly so anyone who isn't part of that chat wouldn't know."

The blonde princess looks confused and surprised by the response. "Nobody knows that I saw the chat except you, Briar, Ash and Allegro Piper. Not that it matters, because using a chat with half of the school for that is disgusting, Daring . . . I can't believe you're worried about how to replace that chat already!" Apple continues, still flustered. "I know you probably used it for other stuff too, but the things I read . . . they were so awful! What were you going to do to fix it, other than deleting the pictures?" she asks, tone more demanding than before, needing to believe that Daring really had a plan.

Daring sighs. "Half the school . . . for what Apple? Sex stories? I'm sorry you're not comfortable with that, but most guys talk about stuff like that, pretty frequently. At least with the chat, there are guidelines and rules that if you break there's a possibility of a major consequence. Okay? This chat has been in play for centuries, and I was giving control in my first year. All that means is I run the official votes to kick someone. If someone gets kicked from the chat by an official vote, then they are cursed to never be able to gain access again. That's what I'm trying to do with Magnus.” the blonde prince finishes, biting his lip.

“I deleted the photos in hopes that not many actually saw them, then I was going to talk to headmaster Grimm, Magnus, and Briar in private to try and figure out what to do without making a spectacle of it. I don't know what to do yet, and I'm risking my neck just trying to police this chat. I'm the first one to implement any new rules since it started, Apple. This chat is a tradition of every male, in a non-maiden role, that has come to Ever After just as much as the Storybook. This can't just be flipped around." he tries to explain to her, hoping to squash this as much as possible so he didn't get lynched.

Apple looks increasingly angry through the explanation, but visibly falters at the word “tradition.” She's been raised to follow expectations as much as anyone else, maybe more, and shaking tradition is an immediate stopper for her. Apple's lips purse in discomfort as she realizes the position Daring's in. 

"I . . . think I understand. At least somewhat. And I can now say for sure that at least I know that you're not the one that started this- chat mess." she admits reluctantly. "Briar is talking to Magnus already, but you'll probably need to talk to him, too, so it's good that you've already planned to. And . . . and thank you, for punching Magnus. That made me feel better, too, even if the video quality isn't hexcellent."

The blond chuckles and shakes his head. "It was, uh, nothing really. I'm not the happiest someone got a video of it, but oh well." He relaxes his shoulders and really gives his new girlfriend a once over. "I’m sorry, okay? Really, I just . . . this wasn't something that people were supposed to know about and now . . . I . . . am going to be in a lot of trouble. But if it makes you feel a little better, I guess it'll be ok. Are- are we okay?"

"I can try to help make sure the video doesn't leave the school network, if you're worried about it getting out. And I . . . won't interfere, since you're handling things." she says after a brief sigh. "They won't hear from me in that chat again, and I won't try to get back in. I don't want you to get in a lot of trouble." 

Apple steps closer before hugging Daring, head braced on his shoulder. "We're okay. I'm sorry I lost my temper and started accusing you, right away. A proper princess is supposed to be patient." she mentions, laughing weakly.

Hugging back, Daring nuzzles his princess, giving the smallest of purrs which sounds just deep enough to almost be a rumble. "It's ok, I immediately went defensive and I shouldn't have. At least you were patient enough to talk to me first, before making a fuss. Thank you." he says with a chuckle, still holding her close. He lets her head stay on his shoulder as he cards a hand through her hair.

The blonde girl purrs back, even if the rumble is fake, just happy that they're going to be alright. Eventually, though, she quietly laughs into his jacket. "Did he look surprised when you hit him? I know violence isn't ever the answer, technically, but it feels like he needed a good punch." she asks, referencing the pushy alpha boy.

The boy pauses for a moment, resting his head gently on top of the other omega's, and chuckles. "Well . . . I'm not sure if surprise is the right word for that intensity of an expression." Daring snorts trying to hide a smile. "Though if we go by his story, he should expect to get punched out by princes." he jokes.

Apple laughs again and properly scents Daring through her giggles. "At least he didn't fall off a roof, just his high horse." she jokes, thinking about seeing him flat on his back in the video. "I bet he's cowering on that bed while Briar lays into him now, too!" the princess mentions as she finally loosens her hold on Daring. "Should we go talk to him right away once he's done with LeGume? Or do you want to talk to Briar alone? I understand if you do, given the delicate situation . . . "

Despite dropping the hug, Daring doesn't necessarily move away from Apple as he nods. "I'm sure Briar might appreciate you with me . . . so let's both go!" He grins, and tucks a piece of Apple's hair behind her ear. "Should we go check to see if he's done? I think Magnus should still be in the infirmary The pixies wouldn't want him to leave without checking for a concussion." Daring says with a shrug.

"Great idea. Let's go and talk to him before Magnus can come interfere - Briar is plenty tough, but I know he's not exactly up to a real argument if you corner him. Somehow I doubt Magnus would have any reservations in cornering him to pick a fight . . . " Apple admits, hand slipping down to clasp Daring's as she starts leading them out. "By the way, what happened to your sister? Her hand looked like it hurt when she went to find Dexter?" the princess asks, completely forgetting already that Briar had theorized Darling's involvement in the fight.

Waving off the question, Daring shakes his head. "Hm? Oh, during the commotion with Magnus, she, uh, accidentally hit her hand against the table. You remember how she is, I couldn't let her try to get into a fight with him! So that's why after the one hit, I tried to bundle her out of there so no one asked." he lies easily through his teeth, and reminds himself he'll have to text Darling the story to go with.

Nodding with a quiet "Ooooh, okay." Apple giggles again, more quietly now that they're going through the halls. "That sounds like her. I'm glad she's calmed down some since we were kids - otherwise I would have been worried that she'd have actually thrown the first punch. PPP must have been really good for Darling." the blonde comments naively. "You're such a good brother for looking out for her like that!"

Laughing a little tightly, Daring shrugs and curls his hand around Apple's as they walk. "I didn't hear much about 3P, but she got top marks in all her classes and is actually wearing skirts now, instead of using them as capes anyway." He chuckles. "Today has been quite the spectacle already has it? This year is going to be interesting . . . "

"Yeah, probably. But at least we'll have each other to get through it, plus all of our friends! And we haven't even gotten all of the good news yet!" Apple covers her mouth with her free hand and clears her throat. "I probably shouldn't have said that. But- Daring, just trust me that it's going to get so much better soon!" she encourages with a smile. After a beat or two she hums thoughtfully. "Daring, do you mind if I ask something personal? About Dexter, actually, because I was wondering if you knew how he and Raven are doing."

Curious, Daring leans a little closer to his princess, but huffs a little. "We don't really talk about all that. But as far as I've been aware, they're on really good standing?" he answers, trying to figure out what Apple would need to know this for. "I promise you won't have any troubles with him in your room if that's why you're concerned. He's very neat." The blond chuckles. "I'm more interested in this supposed surprise." Daring teases with a grin.

Apple blushes at the implication of what Dexter might be in her dorm for and shakes her head. "Daring! No, I'm not worried about him being messy . . . I'm just wondering if he's been doing well with her! It has to be hard, dating an evil princess!" she comments before glancing away from Daring and spotting Briar exiting the infirmary. "Hey, Briar! Do you have a second?" She's about to wave to her friend too before realizing that Briar is holding someone's hand. Magnus's hand. With a Magnus attached.

The princess falters, obviously surprised, but he doesn't let go of the hand. "Oh uh, fuck. Um, I mean, uh, hi, Apps. Look hey ok, I'm sure you're probably still upset but we, uh, we talked it out okay?" he says, already switched into 'fix-it' mode so another fight doesn't start.

Letting go of Apple's hand, Daring crosses his arms and glares at Magnus. "Briar, please, could you come with us for a talk? I'm sure you'd like to hear both sides of the story, instead of the possible . . . edited version."

"Yeah, Briar, maybe it would be better to talk alone? I mean . . . just so we're sure that we're all on the same page?" Apple asks as well, hoping to coax her friend despite the . . . less than lukewarm reaction to seeing her. "I mean, you want to know that you've heard everything, right?" 

Magnus's smile briefly falters but is back - in a more subdued fashion - in a blink. "Babe, I know we talked, but . . . if you think you need to, you can. I'd forgive you for not being sure." he tells Briar, squeezing the princess's hand and hoping he's playing the card right. After all, a man that acts like he has nothing to hide won't be questioned often.

The male princess bites his lip, glancing between all three before shaking his head. "No offense, but Daring kinda has it out for Magnus, and Apple, dear, you tend to jump to conclusions if it's not exactly how you'd react. So, no. No, I'm good. Magnus showed me the pictures, explained the misunderstanding and I trust him. It’s fine." Briar says, squeezing Magnus' hand briefly. 

Obviously surprised, Daring blinks, "H-He showed you them? Really? All of them?" He asks, knowing there was no way Magnus would have actually done that. He must be playing at something. 

But Briar nods. "At first, he said it was just one or two, but then he showed me all of them, and it's fine. Okay?"

Apple looks like she wants to argue, but the blonde bites her tongue at the reminder of “You jump to conclusions.” It's not an attractive thing to hear. "I . . . I just want to look out for you, Briar! And even if I jump to conclusions sometimes, am I usually wrong about them? This all just seems really uncomfortable . . . " 

With a shrug of his shoulders, Magnus raises an eyebrow, smile slipping entirely. "Frankly, Apple, I'm gonna be polite to you because you're Briar's friend, but I'm not worried if you two are comfortable. Ever. I worry about me, and about Briar. I showed him the pics on my phone and we talked it out - sorry if you're disappointed that we can find a reasonable way to work things out, Daring."

Daring immediately bristles and growls, but stops when he realizes that's exactly what Magnus wants. He'll just have to catch Briar another time. He catches Apple's hand and gives her a gentle tug. "I’m very happy you somehow found a reasonable explanation for all of those pictures. And that Briar accepts it all, you must have a . . . close relationship." he says with as much fake politeness as he can muster. 

The princess gives Magnus a small look when he answers Apple, but nods. "See, App, even Daring can understand. We'll talk later okay? I'll explain better, but right now, me and Magnus are gonna switch up a few roommates, since Jacob cant keep his hands out of my stuff." Briar explains with a small tug to Magnus' hand, grinning. "Ready to be in a diamond room, Mag?"

"Briar, I'd take a club if it meant getting to room with you." the alpha rumbles happily, roasted chestnuts of concentrated satisfaction scenting the air as the alpha happily goes with his omega. He waits until they've got some distance between them and Daring and Apple before he leans to nuzzle his princess. "I'm sorry about all this . . . drama. I guess Daring isn't as over the breakup as I thought he was. I'll try and keep this from getting more tense than it already is." he promises, letting the not-quite-lie slip in there smoothly. 

Nuzzling back with a happy purr, Briar keeps nodding along, until the little slip about Daring. He gasps. "Wait, you guys were actually dating in his first year? I thought it was all rumor! Oh wow, especially considering how he was at the end of that year I'm not surprised by the animosity . . . Goodness. I'm sorry baby, no one should have to deal with a jealous ex." he tuts fretfully and pats Magnus on the shoulder.

Magnus shrugs and switches things up, arm wrapping around the shorter teen's waist. "I try not to let it get between us more than it is . . . guess I wasn't doing a good enough job. Just wish he wasn't trying to make things harder for us. Maybe he just doesn't like that you were willing to forgive me." he lies with a shake of his head. "Next thing you know he'll be trying to say all kinds of weird things like he did right after we ended things." 

"I remember some of those! They really were awful. He's . . . he's always been one to exaggerate hasn't he?" Briar pouts a little and looks over his shoulder back where Apple and Dating would have been. "Makes me a little nervous about him with Apple really . . . I mean . . . With you, it's probably because he doesn't want to be considered an omega by his peers, but with Apple, who knows what he might try and spread?" 

"We can always keep an ear out in case he starts saying things we need to be worried about. But . . . hopefully he'll leave it alone if I keep my distance from him. Might mean we don't get any double dates though. Sorry, babe." Magnus tells the princess, tone oozing sympathy. "About what you said on switching rooms, though - you serious? I'd love to trade and room with ya if you meant it. Especially if your roommate is being nosy." the alpha adds with a rumble, already thinking about how much better a diamond room would be.

Briar nods happily. "Yeah, if I can convince Jacob to leave, but it shouldn't be too hard, he is a little . . . gullible." He snickers, continuing. "Who do you room with? Red Hood, right? Should be an easy enough switch, I think both of them will be happy about it." Briar says with a grin, before nuzzling his face into Magnus' shoulder. "And don't feel too bad, okay? It was more Apple's idea about the double dates than mine."

The alpha snorts and grins at the affectionate display. "Yeah, well . . . single dates are better anyway. Makes it easier to kiss ya without worrying about a prudish princess throwing a fit." He has to take a second to think and eventually grumbles a bit. "Is it Hood? Eh, probably. He and I never jive. Such a weird alpha . . . I'm sure he'd be plenty happy to have Beanstalk. I think he might be that way anyhow." the alpha comments with a shrug.

Luckily for the two of them, Briar and Magnus actually run into both Jacob and Jasper, shortly thereafter. Roommates happily get settled, with Jacob with Nox, and Isaac with Stiles, and of course Magnus with Briar now.

****Meanwhile****

Apple's left staring after them in consternation. " . . . he was so mad, what the hex did Magnus say to calm him down?! Let alone 'work things out' in the short time they would have had to talk?"

"Lies. There's no way he could have explained every picture in this amount of time. There . . . there were a lot. Like 50 or so and they were awful. We'll have to find a way to talk to Briar alone - Magmus has always had a talent of talking his way out of everything. I mean, even you liked him until this point." Daring points out with a huff, looking almost like he wanted to run after them.

"Oh my Grimm, fifty?! That's- there can't be a way he's shown them all unless he flipped through them faster than Legend flies!" Apple says, dismayed. She's more worried than before, knowing the count, and squeezes Daring's hand uneasily. "He . . . he's always seemed so . . . charming. I never would have thought he'd be so mean!" the blonde adds with a tearful glance at her boyfriend.

The prince nods and wraps an arm around Apple. "Unless you go to all the parties underground like I used to, no one would be able to guess how he really is. And mixed with Briar's obliviousness? It's a bad combo. But don't worry, dear. We can fix it before Briar really gets hurt." Daring promises with a kiss to Apple's hand.

The princess nods and smiles at Daring, trusting him that they can figure something out. "Okay. I wish I'd known about what he's like before setting them up . . . you don't think Briar will blame me when we get this sorted out and get him to realize what Magnus is really like, do you?" Apple asks, already worrying about it.

He takes her hands, and kisses them lightly. "I don't know Briar as well as I should, I'll admit. But he's your best friend. He'll understand. If anything he'll be thankful we were there to stop it all. You know?" he asks with a small 'rumble'.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do know. Thanks for telling me, anyway, though." the omega girl confirms as she glances in the direction her bffa went. Apple looks back at Daring again and smiles softly. "Let's . . . let's go do something a bit more pleasant for now. Maybe check on your sister and Dexter or visit Precious? She must be having fun settling in and he's so sweet." she suggests hopefully.

The blond rolls his eyes and nods, giving Apple a kiss on the cheek before leading her away, slightly behind himself. Discreetly he texts the fake story to Darling, and warns both her and Dexter that Apple was coming back with him. They'll have their discussion later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile
> 
> Entering in:  
> Siegfried Squire 17, O  
> Jacob Beanstalk 16, A  
> Cedar Wood 16, A  
> Cooper Boots 16, A  
> Marshall Miller 15, O  
> Titus Tailor 18, A  
> Irene Tinman 15, A  
> Nadine Lion 19, O  
> Blondie Locks 17, O  
> Allegro Piper 15, O


	7. Shoes and Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes: **HEY ANNOUNCEMENT!** This story isn’t extremely popular, and that's fine. But me and Almerian have gotten a little . . . over EAH for the moment? We’ve been working on other projects that have garnered more attention, and thus more of our efforts. 
> 
> THIS STORY IS NOT ABANDONED. We have up to chapter 20 written and mostly fleshed out. So whenever we get the itch for EAH again, we’ll post again. 
> 
> a pretty tame chapter, mostly just set up for THE PARTY
> 
>  **Chapter warnings!!** : fake news (including the death of a child, but it's all fake, promise), implied sexual encounter between two people ages 16 and 18. Discussion of a open relationship, assumed cheating

The sun was shining on the resident gossip king of Ever After as he was handing out flyers. Cain Crier winked at a passing princess and laughed to himself. “These flyers are gold for once, and the spell on them is awesome!” the blue haired omega chuckles glancing over the aforementioned paper. One side had all the details about a banging new party that was going to go off in a few days. The other side was full of gossip, Ramone Badwolf back at Ever After, top rankings on rumors that were currently going around and even rumors pertaining to Badwolf himself! But the absolute best part that if anyone besides a student grabbed the flyer, the Ramone side would just double on both, fool proof finally! 

There’s a shuffling behind Crier as a certain sailor juggles his bag and the cluster of papers he’s trying to roll up and shove under one arm. They look suspiciously like maps, and Sassan hardly looks like he’s interested in them scattering around. He spots his classmate and grins, hurrying up to the boy who will eventually cry wolf. “Crier! I see you’re back to dishing out the latest. Have you got a deal going for anyone who trades in good info?” the tanned boy asks, an eyebrow rising curiously. “Because I’m sure you’ve heard that there’s some drama going on . . .” He trails off for a minute before huffing. “And, admittedly, I’m a bit short to buy a flyer this week.” Sassan eventually admits with a shrug and embarrassed smile.

The younger male raises a pierced brow and shakes his head, “You’re gonna have to try harder than that! Besides what information can you give me that I don’t already have?” Cain tries to taunt, but is admittedly very curious. The next Sinbad did travel around on adventures a lot. . . Sassan _might_ actually have something for him. “If its something good, I’ll drop your price to a single gold coin. That sounds fair right?” 

“Yeah, that’s doable! I’m sure I’ve got something to pique your interest. For one thing, I happen to know that Magnus got his ass kicked! Word is that Daring punched him, but I’d bet that he wasn’t even near enough to graze Magnus. I didn’t catch sight of who did the deed . . . but I’d still bet my raft that Charming didn’t land the hit.” the adventurer explains, already fishing through his pocket for a spare gold coin. There’s some jingling, but he seems to be pulling up mostly copper as he shuffles. “And don’t even get me started on the new girl. Daring’s sister? She’s been pretty quiet so far, but _damn_ she’s fine!” Sassan adds with a laugh.

There’s a huff before a full out laugh, “What are you proposing? That some rando or princess decked _Mad Magnus_ hard enough to knock him cold? He just got out this morning and, heh, everyone has already had the beauty of talking about darlin’ Darling.” He shrugs, and glances at the coin pouch, mouth set in a line, “You _do_ have something else for me right?” 

Sassan waves him off, unconcerned, even as he keeps shuffling through his change. “Aha! Wait, no, that’s...that’s Citrine, not gold…” he mutters. It takes a second before he continues his gossiping with a thoughtful frown. “Well, of course there’s Beanstalk’s little slipup from earlier this week. I can at least confirm that I overheard Magnus and Nox talking about Briar. Crazy bastard isn’t using anything, you know? It’s practically a confirmation that Beauty is knocked up, or panicked he might be. What else would a bunch of potion bottles be for, so early before school term starts? You could slap that on a flyer in a heartbeat, sell out in less than an hour!” Sailor points out with a wicked smirk.

Cain’s eyes widen and he grins, “That is big! Oh, Bastard Mad Magnus, accidently a father. I told him he should wrap up, heh.” He chuckles before glancing back at Sassan, “Cedar wood practically confirmed Daring and Apple, so don’t even try that one on me. I _suppose_ that's a fair trade, since you’re a repeat customer… heh, but c’mon, for funsies. Try to give me another one. Maybe any rumors you’ve heard about our dear old returning student, Ramone?” 

Success and immediate huffiness flash across the sailor’s face as he thinks he’s gotten off the hook as far as new gossip goes. It’s always so hard to impress Cain, since he already knows everything. “Well, I heard that he’s got brothers. A whole pack of wolves out there in the forest, and together they _ate some toddlers_ from Darkwoods Spellementary! It’s all being hushed up, since Ramone is back here again, but some of the pixies near the border looked really sketchy when I was out there yesterday.” Sassan shares, glancing around to make sure Ramone isn’t nearby.

“Dude! You can’t just call that shit! _I_ get eaten by one of those mutts . . . Aw man I _have_ to send this out!” He says before pulling out a gem and holding it over the flyers, “Edit please!” He says before it glows, and as Crier speaks, the words echo onto the flyer, magically changing all of them. The edit reads “ _Important notice! Due to an anonymous source, we have it on hand that Ramone Badwolf and his pack **ate babies** over break! More on this as it develops._”

Finally, _finally_ , Sassan fishes out a gold coin. “Aha! Great! I’m glad I was able to give you something to, uh, alert the school. It’s a tough bit of news since the wolves are so close to your story, but it’s great of you to spread the word.” the sailor states as he holds out his payment for the flyer. Buttering Crier up is usually the way to go, and stroking the ego was a good start. “Maybe you can cut me a deal on the next flyer, too? If I get you more on the Badwolf angle, of course.” he suggests with a hopefully-charming smile.

Nodding a bit absentmindedly, Cain takes a breath. “Hm? Yeah, yeah sure, but only if you bring me more Badwolf stories, got it?” He says handing over the flyer and taking the gold coin, quickly stuffing it into his pocket. “Now get going, you’ll scare off other customers.” He says, wanting to leave the conversation just as badly. Especially once he caught sight of a few more heroes. 

Sassan rolls his eyes at the shooing, but heads off willingly enough. He knows better than to overstay his welcome around the gossip hound. He heads off down the hall, passing Hunter Huntsman on his way. It’s not until he rounds the corner and spots Ramone in the distance that he questions if spreading the toddler-eating rumor was a bad idea or not. _’Oh, well. It’s not like he’ll ever know it was me that started it, and he’s probably already done worse than that.’_

\------

“Hunter!” Ash Ella grins and waves to his boyfriend, spotting him in the hallway with a paper in his hand. The princess hurries over towards him, nimbly dodging between students loitering in the hall. “Hey there, cutie. You won’t believe what just happened to me. Did you know there’s a new magic cat in the castle?” he asks with a gesture over his shoulder in the direction he came from.

The hunter grins and nuzzles the ginger before shaking his head, “Haven’t heard anything about it yet! I hope it's a good magic animal, heh.” He grins and shrugs off his messenger bag slightly, “Here i got you a flyer in case you wanted to go to the End of Orientation Party in a few days.” Hunter pulls out the flyer and hands it over, “But this cat sounds much more interesting than the rumors on this parchment.” He chuckles. 

It only takes a second to look over the poster, and Ash does his best to memorize it in case he loses the paper. “Wow, out in a cave this year? I don’t know if that’s brilliant because Milton won’t find them, or stupid because they’re caged in if he DOES.” the princess admits with a laugh. He carefully folds the paper and tucks it in a pocket before kissing Hunter’s cheek. “Thanks, babe! The cat is nuts, I opened up my locker and it just appeared out of nowhere! Then it disappeared under a stool. When I looked - it was big, so I worried it was stuck or just scared - it wasn’t even there. Like...like it just vanished!” he gushes excitedly.

Green eyes widen, “Wow really? That’s amazing! Wonder if I can find it later. . . Oh! Right, I forgot, I’m going to have to cancel today. Think you can manage to round up the girls to have a good day? I’m so sorry I forgot. . . I promised Reese and Ruth that I would help them find their hamsters.” He says with a pout, putting his arms on Ash’s shoulders and giving them a squeeze. 

“Yeah, it was insane. I wish we could look together, but I know that neither of us can really ditch. Even if you _are_ leaving me for the Crumbs.” Ash teases, not actually sounding too upset about the change in plans. “I’m probably due to give you a break from princess shenanigans, anyway. You’re too sweet and let me drag you around all the time!” the princess compliments, voice warm with affection as he nuzzles his boyfriend.

“I like following you around! Especially when classes aren’t keeping us apart.” He gives Ash a kiss on the nose. “Good. . . because uh, I have to get going. Keep the paper and stay away from Badwolf ok? Alright, I love you!” He says not really elaborating before running off, back into the castle. 

Ash watches him go with a shake of his head. _’Honestly, he’s so helpful sometimes, I swear he’d forget his own head if someone distracted him with favors.’_ Still, it’s definitely a positive trait, and one he’s absurdly fond of. The princess quickly texts a heart emoji that Hunter can notice later in his messages, and then he hurries off to the castleteria to meet up with everyone else. He spots them at one of the tables, and is excited enough to talk about the upcoming party that Ash doesn’t really think about who _should_ know. “Guys! You won’t believe what I’ve got - the latest info on the party! Hunter couldn’t meet up with us, but I’ve got the flyer.” Ash explains as he unfolds the page to show them.

“Oooh! I haven’t gotten one yet, I can’t wait for it. I’ve heard it’s supposed to be even more fabulous than usual!” Holly comments, leaning to take a look at the paper herself. At the moment, the Badwolf gossip is facing the bulk of the group, though.

Poppy immediately realizes the precarious situation they’re in, but only shakes his head. “I’m sorry does that paper say Ramone Badwolf _ate a baby?_ ” He asks momentarily distracted, and hoping it would distract the others as well away from the accidental party slip Ash had. 

The resident fairy shakes her head, “I can’t believe Cain is writing about Badwolf that way! He really isn’t all that bad. Crier is just scared of wolves after all.” Farrah says, with a delicate pout on her face. “What kind of party is this anyway? I didn’t realize any were planned yet! School hasn’t even started.” 

Apple nods and leans closer, reading the gossip on Badwolf as well. “I didn’t hear about anything, but I can’t believe any of this is true about Ramone! I know he’s a bit . . . feral . . . but I can’t seriously consider that he might have eaten toddlers!” the blonde points out, tutting over the terrible story.

It takes a beat or two before Ash knows how to respond, sending Poppy a grateful look at the save since it gave him time to come up with an excuse. “Well, it IS Cain Crier. He probably heard something and built off of it to make it sound incredible, or just made it up entirely.” Ash points out with a laugh. “Still, he’s supposed to be right at least once. Do you really want to take the chance?”

With some effort, Holly manages not to roll her eyes. She knows about the party because of Poppy, but the long-haired princess isn’t particularly eager to dance around the less aware members of their little posse. Especially gossiping about Ramone Badwolf. “It’s not like he’s going to eat everyone in school, at most he’d probably terrorize some fables. But that’s what the whole study party we’re doing with them is for, isn’t it? To help them brush up on their Fable Survival courses?” She lies smoothly, feeding Farrah and Apple false information.

Farrah claps her hands together, “That sounds wonderful! How did you ever come up with that? Who else helps? Oh I wish I could, but I certainly have too much to do to make time, you’ll have to let them know that I'm willing to grant them wishes if they need them!” The blue haired fairy sighs and shrugs. 

The non princess there whistles slightly, “Heh, yeah. We’ll let them know Farrah, no worries. It's not even something we do _all_ the time.” Poppy grins and runs a hand through his hair, twirling his multicolored locks on his finger. “Besides I think i have the video where Cain might have come up with that rumor.” 

That claim certainly piques Apple’s interest and she “ooh”s a bit over the prospect. “I’m not sure I can really see him doing it, but if there’s a video-” She leans closer and gently prods Poppy. “Come on, you _have_ to play it, now.”

Ash glances at the boy, sitting down at the table himself. “There’s really a video?! What’s the name, I bet Blondie posted it.” he guesses correctly as he slips his mirrorphone out of his pocket and starts searching. There’s no way of knowing for sure which video is the right one, though, with how Blondie titles her clickbaity videos.

“There’s no way there’s a video of him mauling someone, that’s...that’s ridiculous.” Holly mutters, though she sees her twin is serious that he thinks he knows the source. “We’d have heard about that by now!”

Rolling his eyes, Poppy grins, “Its definitely not what you’re expecting.” He says as he pulls up the video titled _Vicious Wolf Attack!_. Once he hits play, being sure to tilt his mirror phone so the others can watch, the screen shifts to show Ramone in the school hallways. The wolf is sniffing around the lockers when suddenly one locker opens. A shape jumps out and Ramone growls, slashing at it and chasing after it. The voice of whoever is recording is screaming to punctuate the scene, and eventually the strange shape disappears under a table. Ramone yowls and flips the table toward the camera, and with one last scream the video cuts out. 

Farrah blinks, “Well . . . that does look bad, but I’d be upset and things jumping out at me from my locker too! And just disappearing under the table like that.... cowardly.” She says with a pout. And a dismissive wave at the video. 

“Is that some kind of infestation, or did someone smuggle something in?!” Apple asks, more worried about whatever emerged from the locker than what Ramone was doing in the video. “I’m not even sure if it was an animal or some kind of ugly goblin!” she continues with a horrified tone.

Ash can’t help but giggle at his friend’s response and shake his head. “What a story to over exaggerate. That could have been anything in that locker. Hex, it could have been the magic cat I saw earlier, now that I think about it…”

Shaking her head, Holly’s hair swishes wildly in her denial of the video’s content. “That’s nothing like the rumor Crier is spreading, though whatever it is Ramone is chasing is definitely in trouble of getting hunted down. I didn’t know there was a magic cat loose in the castle, though. Maybe it’s from Wonderland like Kitty?” she asks, misunderstanding just how literal of a cat Ash means.

Shaking her head again Farrah frowns, “I think it's reasonable to assume that Ramone is violent and unpredictable with that video. It’s safe to say that he could assume that Ramone is like that to everyone.” She huffs. “And if that was a cat then there's still a possibility that he tried to kill someone's pet!” 

Poppy rolls his eyes, “Nah, I doubt that happened either. And your so-called magic cat is probably nothing more than its own prank.” He dismissively waves a hand. “So I think instead of worrying about all this, let’s head back to someone’s room and have a fashion show.” He says, thinking about how he could get a few cool new things as well as further drive the conversation from the ‘fable party’.

“A fashion show, huh?” Ash asks, tone teasing, knowing that his room would be a good pick - at least, it would be if not for how small it is this year. “I’d invite everyone up to my club, but some things got shifted around. I don’t even have much room for my stuff, with Hunter’s archery gear taking up so much space, let alone enough room to invite people in!” the princess admits with a laugh.

What he isn’t accounting for is the immediate reaction from Apple. “You’re rooming . . . with **Hunter**?! I could have sworn you were rooming with Sparrow! Not that he’s better, but, a princess rooming with their boyfriend is crazy!” she exclaims, looking blatantly scandalized.

Even Holly looks confused. “But Sparrow is rooming with Duke, isn’t he? There’s some weirdness going on there. I didn’t think about it much since, you know, it’s those two. But it must have taken some shuffling to get Hunter into that club, right?”

The fairy also nods, “Not to mention once you leave school. . . won’t you two have to separate? Is it such a good idea to be rooming with him?” Farah asks concerned. “After that short breakup last year. . . It really hurt you Ash, I don't want that to happen again especially with the magnitude that it would happen in.”

Biting his lip, Poppy gives a sympathetic glance at Ash and a small shrug. “I know Sparrow is with Duke _and_ William. So if Hunter just moved in, then Clarence would be by himself. That’s not too bad, and we really shouldn’t meddle. . . “ He mentions knowing Ash would pick his true heart’s love over them, especially if they drove him away fist. 

Ash laughs nervously and shrugs, folding the flyer up finally and tucking it in his pocket. “Well, I mean . . . really, it’s Sparrow’s fault everyone had to move. It got really confusing, and there wasn’t a lot of choice. Besides, Clarence was so upset with Hunter over all of Sparrow’s swapping, since they’re friends, you know, that he just didn’t want to deal with any of it!” the princess lies, not meeting Apple’s or Farah’s eyes.

There’s a sympathetic sound from Holly. She knows from Poppy that dealing with princess business can be difficult when you don’t easily fit the mould, and it’s got to be hard to love someone that can’t fit in your story. She thinks of an alternative, though, so they’re at least not sitting around and worrying about Ash’s future. “You know, we can always go talk to Humphrey! Maybe he can do something about the room arrangements to at least get Hunter and Ash out of a club? There’s got to be an open spade or something. We don’t fill every room every year.” she suggests helpfully.

“That’s a fabulous idea!” Apple chimes in with a clap. “Let’s go see him, now, and get this fixed at least a little bit! He’s got access to all of the school records, so changing a few things around should be easy. Isn’t he usually in the server room right about now?”

“Yeah! Sparrow causes enough trouble, he shouldn’t have the power to change a bunch of rooms around just for himself!” Farrah pouts, “I don’t like that guy, honestly. But either way I agree. It’s ridiculous for a princess of Ash’s stature to be forced to be in a club room. And even if they are rooming together, Hunter is too good of a Huntsman to be in a club either!”

With a loud sigh, Poppy nods, “Yeah let’s go, much better than hanging around here for the moment.” He stands up and waits for the others. “Maybe we can finally split up me and Holly too. Been pretty boring being the only male/female room. I want to expand a bit, heh.” He says chuckling, giving Holly a nudge as well. 

Holly giggles, standing and bumping her twin playfully with her hip. “Like I’m not looking to branch out, too? I want to get to know some new roommates before we have to graduate!” she says with a grin at her twin brother. “I can live without having a guy in the room for once. Getting changed would be so less awkward with a girl!”

By the time she’s done complaining, the other princesses are up and moving as a group. It’s not a long trip from the castleteria to the server room - MirrorHub, capital letters included, if you asked Humphrey or Dexter - but their real obstacle is the sign hanging on the door.

“ **In a meeting. Do not disturb.** ” the sign reads, and Apple pouts as they all subtly look for a “be back in X minutes” section. There isn’t one, though. “Well,” the blonde princess starts, rather put out, “I don’t know what sort of meeting this could be, but it’s very inconvenient.”

Ash shrugs and tries to listen closely. There’s some sort of talking inside, very faint, but nothing he can distinguish as a specific person. “Maybe we can knock anyway and make sure they didn’t leave the sign on longer than they meant to?” he suggests, sounding unsure of himself.

With a huff and a small push at his sister's shoulder, Poppy shakes his head. "Knowing Dexter and Humphrey, they probably don't want visitors." He says with a chuckle. And as Farrah still protests, Poppy opens the door with a **bang** and whistles. "Huh. I Don't see them. Maybe the meeting is somewhere else?" He says as his eyes scan the room.

Quickly following in, Farrah flutters next to Poppy and pokes at a few keyboards near her. "Oh thank goodness I didn't want to get in trouble for barging in here. Hehe." She giggles some anxiety away and wanders to a computer, frowning at it. "You think we might be able to do it ourselves?” 

“Hm...maybe? I’m not very good with computers, but we could definitely give it a shot!” Apple says with a smile, looking at some equipment and clicking a few keys that don’t seem to do anything. “How hard could it be, right? I can’t imagine it’s all that difficult.” she continues with another key pressed, making a window pop up and a loud “bing!” sound.

Sighing and shaking his head, Ash gestures at the computers. “Maybe we shouldn’t be pushing random buttons. We have no clue what kind of stuff they were in the middle of before they left! What if you accidentally change someone’s schedule or the castleteria menu?” he suggests as a potential risk. It certainly seems to spook Apple away from the keyboard, at least.

Holly is just as fascinated by the room as the others, and looks at the same computer as Farrah. “This doesn’t seem that complicated, and I doubt we’d accidentally change something as big as a menu or schedule . . .” she trails off, not sounding entirely sure of herself as she does, in fact, see the school lunch menu pulled up on the monitor.

"Ooohhh." Farrah hums and backs up from the computer, pursing her lips and locking her hands behind her back. "I don't want to mess with something on the internet. My magic works with it . . .but it doesn't seem to work as well as usual."

Hearing a small squeak has Poppy glancing over his shoulder at all the tables. He notices a shoe disappearing under the table. Poppy's eyes widen and with an expert step he spins and can briefly see under a different table, and notices Dexter's jacket. "We really shouldn't mess with the computers. I don't want to end up with detention from Rumple for months. . . or the mob coming after us if we break the mirror net." He says, subtly bumping Ash and giving a small gesture with his head.

“Oh, that’s a good point.” Holly agrees, stepping back from the computer even though she hadn’t touched it yet. “The last thing we need is to spend the first half of the year fighting everyone off for crashing their phones.” she giggles nervously with a glance over at Apple.

Ash is too distracted by Poppy to bother worrying about the computers. He looks where he’s being directed and sucks in a breath at seeing a small flash of brown hair moving past one of the desks and discarded clothes of some kind under another table. “You know, we should probably come back later!” the princess is quick to suggest, rubbing his arm nervously. “Who knows when they’ll be back? And if it’s an important meeting, we wouldn’t want to risk Milton coming in to talk to them, too.”

Thinking about the consequences does have the blonde princess gasping and quickly clutching her hands together in front of her. “R-right! That’s - yeah. No need to annoy Headmaster Grimm, today. Um. Maybe we can go find something else to do until everything here is settled! Book End, anyone?” Considering her enthusiasm for their plan, it’s likely that the only reason she’s backing down so quickly is the large **”E R R O R”** popup on the computer she’d been messing with.

Snickering, Poppy raises his eyebrows at Ash and grins, "Hey I have an idea! Why don't we all head to Bookend? Check out the shoe competition? We can always round back to the Slipper, right Ash?" He asks, hoping to corral the princesses out with their favorite activity, shopping.

Farrah gasps, "That sounds wonderous! Oh, Ash, I've been eyeing this one pair your shop is supposed to get in later this week . . . maybe we can get a small sneak peak? Obviously we can do a favor for you later on . .. " she offers, twirling her wand with a wink.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day!” Ash agrees, grinning gratefully at Poppy for the suggestion. “I’ve got a private shipment that needs to be unpacked, anyway, so you guys can all get the big sneak peak!” he adds as an incentive for them to go with the plan.

It’s hardly even necessary, as Apple is eager for her favorite pastime just as much as she’s eager to split before the boys come back and see them all loitering. “Ooh, perfect. We can even swing by the theater and see what’s playing this week. Maybe schedule a group date or a hangout! Let’s get going so we beat the afternoon rushes.” she giggles, already starting to head for the door.

Holly raises an eyebrow at her twin, admittedly surprised at the shoe shopping suggestion from him. She doesn’t ask questions, though . . . for now. Instead she shifts her hair over her shoulder and follows after Apple with a playful bump into Farrah’s hips as she passes the fairy.

There's a small blush from the alpha fairy as she follows the others and they end up out the door. Farrah secretly grabs Holly's hand and walks beside her, "Orientation week is normally a bit more full in Bookend, compared to the rest of the year. Maybe window shopping and the Slipper would be best for us that _aren't_ princesses." She says with a small giggle. 

Tangling his arm with Ash's, Poppy grins and mouths "wow" at the ginger. They had a lot to talk about. "I can't wait! I need some new shoes to deal with the new year. Mine are sooo last season." He says, making sure to close the server room’s door behind him with a bit of a bang.

 **\-----(Meanwhile)----**

Groaning, Humphrey presses Dexter against one of the tables without computers, and grins as the blonde kisses the prince deeper. He's about to say something, as a loud **Bang!** startles him to the floor. Thankfully he had grabbed Dexter as well to bring him to the floor. "What the fuck?" He horror whispers, glancing between their obviously undressed state, and to where voices are now pouring into the server room.

Dexter flinches at the sound of clacking high heels across the hard flooring. “I don’t know!” he whispers back, hurriedly trying to pull his shirt back together. It won’t help much - if at all - if they’re caught, but it’s at least something. “We need to get out of here, or we’re going to be the next thing on the Mirrornet!” the brunet frets, trying to edge closer to the underside of a desk.

Briefly fumbling with his own buttons, Humphrey barely suppresses another groan and has to cover his mouth, squirming his way under a different desk. He manages to cover himself enough, but as he shifts he bumps the table leg resulting in a squeak. He holds his breath, praying.

It’s several tense moments until the girls start talking about damaging the MirrorNet and, eventually, the suggestion to leave. Dexter sends a ridiculously relieved glimpse over at Humphrey from where he’s started crawling to (hopeful) freedom. “Think they can see us if they leave the way they came?” the prince mouths slowly so Humphrey can read his lips. “I’m- I’m not sure how quietly I can get out of the way if they decide to stay!”

There's a hurried shrug from Humphrey before he mouths back, "I don't know! Hopefully?" He grimaces, and tries to listen to the voices. It sounds like they were planning on leaving, and they were still nearer to the door. "Let's just stay still for now." He tries to sooth the younger Omega, supplemented with a small smile.

Nodding, Dexter tries to stay still and quiet. It’s comforting at least that they’re planning on leaving without looking around any more. The relief is visible as his shoulders sag with it. “I think we’re good. Thank Grimm!” Dexter mouths back to his blond friend, settling down between the assurance that the girls are going to be gone soon and how calm Humphrey is staying.

A few more minutes and then a door slam and Humphrey lets out a rather loud breath. The blonde peaks above the desk and sighs, "They're gone. Oh thank gourd. I think we're safe, and I'm going to go lock the door." He says with a nervous chuckle, hurrying to his feet and heading over to the door, locking it with a huff. "Who knew princesses didn't respect signs?" 

“Should have guessed.’ Dexter admits with a nervous laugh as he stands back up. He adjusts his shirt again and winces at the idea that he almost got caught by Apple and her friends. “It’s not like we ever go a whole week without someone busting in here asking for the impossible . . . actually, what do you think they even wanted?” the prince asks, realizing he has no clue. He starts looking for his pants, glasses nearly falling off his face.

"Probably something ridiculous. I mean what else would _Apple White and Crew_ need with the tech geeks?" Humphrey says with a laugh before coming back over to Dexter. "Next time we just get your girlfriend to help them off our trail." He snickers and nuzzles into the younger Omega's neck before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "The mood is kinda killed though isn't it?" Humphrey asks, a little disappointed. 

With a snort of laughter, Dexter nods. He returns the nuzzle, though, and scents his friend. “Yeah, kinda. It’s uh...a bit distracting to the whole vibe when a bunch of girls bust in and you end up huddling under a desk for safety.” the brunet admits. It earns another huff of laughter when he realizes how silly they probably would have looked. “Sorry, Humph.”

Not to be put down Humphrey shrugs as well, but still wraps his arms around Dexter's waist pulling him closer. "Considering this is a long over due payback, I'm a little hesitant to call it off." He chuckles, "Maybe we should keep the meeting sign up as the mood comes back?" He purrs, running a hand down the brunette's back. "But, I guess if it's truly gone we can get to the work we were _supposed_ to be doing." 

The younger omega purrs back, arching into the touch. He mumbles under his breath about it being a bad idea . . . but it doesn’t keep Dexter from wrapping his arms around Humphrey. “I mean, you never know what might happen. It’s not like we really have all that much work to do anyway, right?” he asks rhetorically as he tucks his face into the blond’s neck to nip at the skin there. “I DO owe you.” Dex adds with a grin.

"Nah, not much at all. Easily taken care of at another point. I mean, it's Day 4. Nothing ever happens on Day 4." The blonde agrees, before giving another chuckle, and Humphrey takes Dexter's jaw in his hand, pulling him away from his neck. "Aw pretty boy, so good to me." He purrs before kissing him.

***~* Elsewhere *~***

It’s a familiar trip to Bookend for the princesses, and even more so on their way to the Glass Slipper. Holly nearly bounces when the storefront comes into view with its beautiful displays already partially set up for the new season. “Gosh, it’s so nice to be back at school. I missed Bookend as much as I missed the castle!” she admits with a laugh as her hair swishes behind her. “It was only a couple of weeks but it feels like ages, since I was stuck in the salon for all of it. I couldn’t even go to the café for my break.”

Ash shakes his head at the confession and huffs out an amused sigh. “If you weren’t in the salon helping Poppy, he would’ve been swamped with customers. You held that place down like a fortress! It was downright heroic, if I do say so myself.” the princess comments with a very dignified air about him. He grins when it earns a giggle from Holly.

Hurrying just a couple of steps in front of her friends, Apple squeals to herself at the first glance of new merchandise visible through the windows. “If anyone here is going to end up getting called heroic, I nominate Ash for letting us see the new collection early! This is going to be fablesse, and- oh my gosh, I totally forgot I have one of Holly’s dresses in my room! Hexes.” she pouts, upset that she hadn’t thought to return it today.

“Oh no worries, Apple! Holly leaves her dresses everywhere.” Poppy chuckles, and bumps his twin. “Now, I’m not sure if Ash can be considered ‘heroic’ since he’s not really supposed to be showing us any of these shoes.” The male omega snickers and shrugs, grinning at Ash with a wiggle of his eyebrows to the ginger. “A real . . . Rebel if you will.”

The future fairy godmother huffs and gives the male twin a small shove. “Don’t bring in the Rebel and Royal mischief right now, Poppy. First those awful rumors brought the mood down, we couldn't fix Ash's room, and we almost got in trouble with the computers. Last thing I need is the inevitable argument about destinies." Farrah says with a sigh, rolling her eyes at the chuckled apology from Poppy. 

Ash lets Farrah fend off the rebel joke, relieved that it’ll stop here. Rather than get involved the princess pulls out the key to the Glass Slipper and unlocks the door for his friends so they can, inevitably, swarm the shoe displays. “Hero or not, at least I’m entertaining. Now, ladies - let’s browse!” he announces with a giggle that only intensifies at Apple’s immediate snap to attention.

With a pep in her step, the blonde happily heads in and squeaks at the displays. “Oh my godmother - these are SO cute! Ash, I don’t know how you can stand working here. NO employee discount would be enough for me because I’d buy one of everything!” She backs up the obvious enthusiasm by hurriedly examining the nearest wall of shoes and seemingly debating with herself over which to check out first.

Holly just gives a huffed laugh. “I just want to put it out there that if I left my dresses half as many places as Poppy leaves his shirts, I’d run out of clothes and have to go to class in a sheet.” she declares, teasing her twin as she walks into the shop. She starts looking over the new styles but doesn’t get as involved as Apple (who already has three boxes in her hands and is tottering over to the couches to try them on), instead favoring the option to hang back and wait for everyone else to get in. 

Farrah bypasses the others, much like Apple, and heads straight to the more . . . magical shoes on display. Lovingly she runs her hands up one that twists to her knees and croons. "Oh Apps, I completely understand! I'd have to buy at least _one_ of everything once it comes in. My self control really is lacking in some areas." She says with a sigh and a chuckle, taking the knee highs off the shelf, and heading towards the couch with Apple. 

Normally, Apple might catch on that three of their friends have gone off from the group, but Farrah’s selection of shoes has her dazzled enough that she’s paying no mind to them. “Those are so pretty! I didn’t even spot them on the wall yet, you have to let me see them when you’re done.” she tells the future fairy godmother as she delicately tugs on a glittery shoe from her own first selections, none the wiser of the discussion off to one side.

Lifting an eyebrow at everyone's immediate reactions, Poppy shakes his head before nudging Ash and stepping away from the group a bit. "Did you happen to see what i did in the computer room? Please let me just be going crazy." Poppy says a little quieter than the others, his whole posture screaming his feelings of ' _what the fuck?_ '

There’s a beat of silence before Ash shakes his head, cheeks reddening at the thought of what they technically walked in on. “No, you definitely weren’t imagining that and you aren’t crazy.” the princess confirms in a soft voice as he tries to figure out how he should feel about the situation. “There’s no way they _weren’t_ doing something together. Not with how they were hiding.” he adds.

It’s easy enough for Holly to sidle up to the pair and lightly bump her twin. “Alright, what’s going on. I want details and I want them now.” she whispers, glance shifting between the two boys. “You look totally wigged - and not in a punk kind of way.”

Giving a low whistle, Poppy shrugs. "Wigged is right. Hols, good Grim, you won't guess what me and Ash saw." He says, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I think when we barged into the server room earlier, Dex and. . .someone, but most likely Humphrey, were in the middle of _something._ " he says, with a shake of his head. "Makes my head hurt thinking about it." 

The next Rapunzel barely restrains her gasp of surprise at the news, stifling it behind a hand. “What? There’s no way - Dexter and Humphrey wouldn’t be dumb enough to- not in the _server room_ , at the very least!” she argues with a hint of scandal in her tone. “I didn’t even think Humphrey liked boys.”

Ash shakes his head and shrugs. “Whether he does or not - which he definitely does, based on today - we have much bigger things to worry about. Dexter’s dating Raven! He’s dating Raven, and fooling around with his best friend behind her back. At the very least I don’t think that they broke up or anything.” the princess laments, not wanting to assume the worst but having little choice at the moment.

"I completely forgot about that! Holy . . ." the male twin bites his lip, and briefly glances at the two girls on the couch. With those two so encompassed by the promise of shoes, Poppy takes a breath. "Ok so I don't want to immediately go accusing either of them, without good advice. And there is only one person whose advice on the matters of love is perfect." he suggests holding up his phone with Cupid's 'Love Broadcast' playing. 

Already, Holly is on board with this plan. She nods and folds her arms as she watches the broadcast ticking through its normal runtime. “It’s our best option. Nobody knows love like Cupid, and she might even know what’s going on with those two, given enough context. She IS totally heels over crown for Dexter, after all.”

There’s a moment when it seems like Ash is going to argue about it. Really, he knows he should . . . but what alternative do they have other than confronting Dexter? “Fine. We send in a message to Cupid, but it needs to stay vague enough that she doesn’t accidentally announce the whole affair over her show. If somehow we’re wrong, we don’t need this spread around the whole school.” he agrees with some obvious hesitation.

The omega male scoffs. "Subtlety is my middle name.” he says before texting in his question to the show, and turns on the captions for when Cupid replies. "Ok, is this vague enough for you Ash?" He asks with a bit of a chuckle, showing off the text. 

It reads: _Hey, Cupid! I have a problem, i might've stumbled upon a couple, catching them off guard. But the problem is, I'm sure one side of that is already dating! I don't have info on whether they've broken up or not, what should I do? I want to alert the possibly snubbed party, but I don't want to kick up a fuss over something if it's not actually a problem!_

Ash seems relieved at the message Poppy’s chosen and nods. “Yeah, that looks fine. Let’s hope that she sees it before going to break . . . I’m sure there are lots of messages waiting for her, since it’s the beginning of the year.”

“Oh, I’m sure it isn’t that many. People may have made mistakes over break or have questions, but they’ll at least wait until next week before they start panicking and ask Cupid how to fix everything.” Holly debates as she peeks at her brother’s screen. “I’m sure it won’t be long at all before she answers.” she declares as Cupid starts in on her next selected comment.

Nodding along, Poppy submits the question, and holds his breath. A few seconds later, the comment highlights with a 3 next to it. "Why am I not surprised that Holly always seems to be right about these things?" He huffs and gives his twin a small push to her shoulder. 

It's about a minute or two later before Cupid gets to their comment. Her eyes scan it before she whistles, then reads it aloud. "Well friend, you do seem to be in a bit of a crunch. Honestly, you should tell the snubbed party. If this is a misunderstanding, then it'll be resolved quickly and without trouble, if not, at least you informed them before they could find out in a terrible way. Just make sure to be gentle about it, ok? But don't 'beat around the bush' as they say." Cupid chuckles to herself, and shrugs, "That's all I can really suggest with what you've given me." 

Ash doesn’t feel as relieved as he hoped he would once they got Cupid’s response. “Of course, it’s the obvious answer.” he sighs, lamenting that the pink-haired girl didn’t have some revolutionary idea that they’d simply failed to consider. “I guess it’s the only thing we can do, then. Oh, I hope this is somehow a misunderstanding. I’d hate for Raven to get hurt in all of this!”

There’s a sympathetic nod from Holly as she closes Cupid’s stream with a few prods at her twin’s phone. “We’ll text her and be nice about it. Tell her straight up that we think we might have seen Dex with Humphrey, leave room for ‘maybe we misinterpreted it’ and see what she says?” the princess suggests with a glance at her brother.

With a bite to his lip, Poppy nods. "Nice, quick and easy. Like a band aid." But still the omega hesitates for a moment before a soft growl at himself and he opens Raven's contact. "Let's see. . . something like this?" He mutters to himself, tapping away on his phone. He doesn't mention what he writes but it's easily spied upon. He does seem to write exactly what they agreed upon. 

_"Hey, Raven. I think i might've come across Dexter and Humphrey in a precarious position in the server room. They were hiding so I might be wrong, but it looked like they were pretty entangled. Did you guys break up? Or am I delivering bad news? (Ps. I can totes punch him if needed! <3 )" _

“Oh gosh, I hope this is somehow not awful. I don’t want them to have broken up, but-” Ash trails off, anxious at what answer they’ll get when Raven replies. It’s not a very long wait though, as Poppy’s phone dings, multiple times, only a few moments later.

_Raven: Pls don’t punch Dex  
Raven: I don’t know how they thought it was a good idea, but as long as its Humphrey its cool  
Raven: *it’s_

Holly peeps at the screen and her eyebrows fly up in surprise. “Wha- I’m so confused! How is that cool?!” she asks, waiting for a follow-up text that they broke up or something . . . a text which never comes. Instead another simply comes, reading:

_Raven: I can explain_

_Poppy: Please do? This is kinda a first for me_

With a click of 'send', Poppy huffs a breath big enough to flutter his bangs. "Maybe it's a threesome? She's the kind of Alpha that could get two omegas, easy. But . . . I don't feel like that's it. I just hope it isn't more of a clusterhex than it needs to be. I don't know how I could keep quiet over it for the shoe princesses." He mutters to himself, noticing that Farrah and Apple seemed to finally realize their friends were grouped up. 

Ash nods, and spots the duo . . . spotting them. “Please don’t let them come over until Raven answers, hex. The thought of explaining this to them is killing me already.” the princess admits, noting Apple’s inquisitive looks with concern. Her blonde friend won’t wait long before interjecting.

Poppy’s phone dings again, with short pauses between the chimes, and his twin bounces slightly next to him in anticipation. “This is some next level weirdness, and I’m so ready to find out what’s going on. Seriously, this is crazy drama and I . . . well, maybe I’m as intrigued as I am sympathetically horrified for Raven’s sake.” she admits.

_Raven: Dex and I don’t do stuff, so he has Humph  
Raven: As long as it isnt anyone else I let him work off that extra energy  
Raven: I’m not really into sex?_

Despite her curiosity, Apple only nudges Farrah and nods towards the others. “Do you think we scared them off by just rushing for the shoes?” she asks jokingly. Still it’s obvious that something isn’t quite right with the small group. “I hope nothing’s wrong.”

With a concerned glance at the group, Farrah clears her throat, “Hey guys? Is everything alright? I mean, if we really aren’t allowed to be checking out the shoes . . . you should have told us, Ash!” She says with concern, starting to get up.

Quickly shoving his phone back into his pocket, as a notification from ‘Bro Code’ popped on his phone, Poppy shakes his head, “Nah! Ash wouldn’t let us in if we weren’t allowed! I was just asking a question and Holly got nosy, you know how she gets.” He diverts the conversation, with a glance at Holly and Ash, “Everything is surprisingly good, right guys?” 

Ash is quick to nod, smiling at his friends to help calm them down. “Everything’s fine! We just got caught up talking.” he reassures the girls smoothly. “You guys can try anything on you like, it’s no problem. They’re going to debut so soon anyway, you know?” Ash laughs, giving Poppy a pointed glance when the girls aren’t focusing on him.

“Nosy? Nosy! Can you believe, _him_ calling _me_ nosy? I ought to hide all the shoes in his size! Honestly.” Holly complains as she heads over to join Apple and Farrah with their piles of try-ons. “It’s all stupid boy stuff anyway. I thought it would at least be interesting.” the princess confides in a softer tone, as though she doesn’t want to be overheard by Ash and Poppy.

It seems to work on Apple at least, the blonde looking relieved that they aren’t doing something wrong. “As long as you’re sure. For a page there, I was worried we’d made you feel excluded, or had grabbed too many pairs to try on!” Apple admits with a relieved giggle.

Gently getting Holly to sit beside her, Farrah shakes her head. “No worries then, I just don’t want to be one of those people who get in trouble before the year starts, you know?” she says with a smile to her voice, before passing Holly a pair of shoes, “Here, these’ll be perfect for you.” The fairy grins, handing the princess some heels. 

Before he takes another step, Poppy gives Ash a raised eyebrow, but turns to face the ginger again, with a head tilt. “One second, ladies, a few more man things to discuss.” he calls back to the girls, his voice dropping comically on ‘man.’

Ash smiles gratefully as he grabs his own elbows, crossing his arms. “Hey, I saw your notification. Are you . . . are you really part of the guys’ group chat?” Ash asks with a touch of apprehension while the girls are giggling over something in the background, seemingly fine with letting them talk on their own. “The one that’s been around forever?”

Eyes widen for a moment, before Poppy finally nods. “Uh, yeah, I am. It took some convincing, but I got myself invited. Look if this is about the recent drama. . . I can't really talk about it, I wasn’t on for the break. But uh. . . If you’re looking for a way in, I can try? But it’ll be pretty hard since Apple found out about it.” 

“What? No!” Ash answers, a bit too loudly and too quickly. It earns a dip in volume from the girls as they are surprised, but he waves them off with an embarrassed smile. The future Cinderella sighs and shakes his head when he looks back at Poppy. “I don’t want in, I just . . . want to make sure that Hunter never posted about us? I shouldn’t even worry, I know, but I feel like I need to ask someone that knows us both and will be honest.” he admits with a half-shrug. “It must seem silly.”

“Oh is that it? Yeah trust me, Hunter is amazing in the chat.” Poppy confirms, with a hand to the alpha’s shoulder. “He brags that he has the cutest boyfriend, is constantly complaining how much he misses you during classes and breaks, posts really sappy pictures of shoes, or animals like ‘This reminds me so much of Ash! I love him sooooo much uwu’ you know?” he says with a chuckle. 

The sound Ash makes is the cutesy version of pornographic - a Hallmark-worthy gasp of pure adoration and sickening affection. “He _does_ , really? Aww!” the princess says, swooning where he stands. He doesn’t hesitate before whipping out his own phone and texting Hunter immediately.

_Ash-tonishing: HUNTER YOURE SO CUTE  
Ash-tonishing: literally the sweetest cutest most amazing boyfriend ever that I dont even deserve  
Ash-tonishing: Ilysm babe!!! <3 <3 <3 _

Poppy laughs, as he heads over to the girls, flopping into his seat next to Apple, and gently bopping his sister with a shoe. The sound of the male princess’s laughter is barely heard over the sound of Ash immediately getting texts back.

 _SexyBeast: OMG BABY this is the best surprise!!!  
SexyBeast: your gonna make me cry!! (crying emoji) I found the hamsters, can we meet up?   
SexyBeast: I dont know what started this but i just wanna kiss you forever now! _

The bopping earns Poppy a pair of fitting tights tossed at him, the princesses all giggling together as Ash squeals quietly over his phone. None of them notices his glances at the group and the clock, or how Ash bites his lip, debating his choices carefully before settling on a plan.

_Ash-tonishing: Im so happy you found them!  
Ash-tonishing: dont cry youre way too cuuuuuuuute ahhhhhh  
Ash-tonishing: come to the slipper and well see how long forever lasts ;)_

“You know,” Ash starts with a smile, looking a bit regretful, “I just realized that I haven’t taken inventory yet. I know I said we could hang out, but I might need to cut us a little short after all.” he apologetically explains to the group.

Apple makes a sad little sound. “Oh! Well, I hope you’ll still have enough time to get it done. Do you need us to stick around and help?” she asks, ever willing to give a hand. She even glances at the others, expecting them to make similar offers even as Ash makes a subtle shake of his head for anyone looking.

“Ash always asks if he needs help.” Poppy starts, with a fond roll of his eyes. “But, I need a little help over at the salon? I’m still working on that dye remover, and frankly some actual hair instead of a wig would be nice.” he quickly makes up, knowing the girls would go for free hair products and styling at the drop of a hat. 

With a flutter of her wings, Farrah jumps up. “Oh I would love to! I was thinking about adding a lighter purple streak next to my dark one, I’ve been meaning to ask for your help!” she says with a delighted squeal, which covers Ash’s phone ringing again. 

_SexyBeast: Alright, im coming over, best get some lip balm becuase im about to chap you up!  
SexyBeast: im sorry that sounded lame can we still make out? Im almost there!_

Ash tries to stifle his giggle as he realizes that Poppy is covering for him like an absolute bro. “Oh, well I’ll catch up with you guys when I’m done! If Poppy needs the help then you can all give him a hand. I’ve got this . . . handled.” he adds, fighting down a blush as the thought of just what he plans to handle comes to mind.

There’s a confused glance from Holly at these excuses, but it’s quickly replaced with a suspicious - and entertained - smile. “Yeah! It’ll be great, we’ll all let Poppy test out some product on us. Grimm knows dye remover would be killer for me when I mess up my highlights.”  
Apple gathers herself and at least makes an attempt to tidy her mess (though not much of one) before hopping to her feet. “Let’s go, then! Farrah, a light streak would be so beautiful, I can’t wait to see it on you!” she adds, comforted that Ash would ask if he needed them.

It’s during her comment that Ash fires off his last round of texts, for now.

_Ash-tonishing: our lips might not be the only things getting a workout if you help me pick up a bit first ;)  
Ash-tonishing: and dont worry I have something here thatll keep anything from getting chapped <3_

_SexyBeast: (picture of a dropped coffee, and a angry Pesky) Making me drop things in my rush  
SexyBeast: You know that requires . . ..   
SexyBeast: Punishment  
SexyBeast: (but yeah ill help you clean up first! Of course babe <3 )_

With the rest of the girls ready to leave, Poppy gives Ash one last eye roll, and a small bump to his shoulder as the other male passes by. “I’ll keep the lights on for ya, Ashy.” he says with a look meaning he absolutely wouldn’t, knowing that the ginger probably wouldn’t join them again until at least dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End notes: A pair of crazy co-authors that finally migrated here from FF.net. We post our RPs and co-authored fics with minimal or no editing, read at your own risk.
> 
> Ask us any questions! here or on our Tumblrs which can be found on our profile
> 
> Also:  
> Cain: 16, O  
> Sassan: 17, O

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy! We'll see you in the next chapter!


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